Skip to main content

Full text of "Heraldry of fish. Notices of the principal families bearing fish in their arms"

See other formats 


Go 

929,8 

M86h 

1746058  1 


FIP^YNOLOS  HISTORICAL 
aiNiAUOOY  COLLECTION 


Go 


3  1833  00858  3863 


Heralbrj?  of  iPtg|u_ 

NOTICES    OF   THE    PRINCIPAL    ExmiLIES 

BEARING    FISH    IN    THEIR   ARMS, 

BY 

THOMAS    JIOULE. 


"  Inest  sua  gratia  parvis.' 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    ENGRAVINGS    ON    WOOD. 


LONDON: 
JOHN  VAN  VOORST,  PATERNOSTER  ROW. 

M.DCCC.XLir. 


1716058 


Cfje  ^txmxp  of  Jfisf), 


PREFACE. 


Tibi  res  antiquae  laudis  et  artis 
Aggredior.  -  Virgil. 

The   prevailing   desire    for  information   on   Leraldry 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  encouraged  by  the  pro- 
duction of  books  in  proportion  to  the  interest  the  subject 
excites,  as,  amidst  the  vast  range  of  modern  publications 
very  few  indeed    are   found  to  relate   to   heraldry.     A 
sufficient  reason  may  perhaps  be  found  in  the  fear  of 
encountering  its  boundlessness  without  the  probability 
of  incurring  a  serious  charge  of  prolixity,  by  venturing  to 
grasp  at  once  the  whole  of  this  extensive  subject ;  an- 
other more  obvious  cause  preventing  the  attemi)t   from 
being  rashly  made,  is  the  number  of  engravings  required 
for  its  support  and  illustration,  feAV  publishers  being  will- 
ing to  risk  the  great  expense  attending  this  very  neces- 
sary part  of  the  undertaking.     It  is  not  to   be  denied, 
that  the  research  which  unfolds  the  progress  of  heraldry 
in    the    days  of  chivalric    enterprise,  and    supplies    the 
means  of  tracing  its  history  through  the  different  periods 
of  time,  would  prove  a  most  attractive  and  entertaining 
employment  of  leisure ;  but  the  knowledge  of  its  origin, 
and  of  the  importance  it  began  to  acquire  at  an  early 
epoclu,  its  improvement,  and  its  perfection,  with  all  the 


VI  PREFACE. 

circumstances  to  which  heraldry  owes  its  power  of  pleas- 
ing, is  only  to  be  found  in  books  very  rarely  met  with  in 
modern  libraries. 

The  present  attempt  was  suggested  by  the  author's  de- 
sire to  compress  the  opinions  advanced  into  a  reasonable 
compass,  and  bring  within  a  single  volume  the  various 
illustrations  required.*  Great  facility  has  been  afforded 
for  its  prosecution  by  the  liberality  of  the  publisher,  and 
by  the  additional  satisfaction  of  having  all  the  drawings 
with  which  the  work  is  embellished,  made  upon  the 
wood  under  the  author's  own  inspection,  by  his  daugh- 
ter, Sophia  Barbara  iVIoule,  an  advantage  which  will  be 
best  appreciated  by  those  who  know  the  great  difficulty 
of  obtaining  heraldic  drawings  correctly  executed,  in 
which  the  beauty,  in  a  great  measure,  depends  on  the 
character  of  the  different  periods  of  art. 

In  the  limited  view  of  heraldry  here  taken,  calculated 
rather  to  excite  than  gratify  curiosity,  it  has  not  been 
considered  merely  with  reference  to  the  contents  of  the 
shield,  or  the  simple  coats  of  arms,  as  found  on  the  ban- 
ners of  the  Paladins  of  Europe.f  The  custom  of  mar- 
shalling, in  which  the  arms  are  blended  by  family  alli- 
ances, has  been  the  means  of  affording  some  illustrations. 
The  modes  of  representing  heraldry  on  the  baronial,  and 
municipal  seals,  exhibiting  no  want  of  invention,  and 
differing  from  the  arrangement  on  the  ancient  standards, 

*  In  France,  where  Heraldry  meets  with  great  encouragement,  two  volumes 
have  appeared  on  the  fleur-de-lis  alone,  by  M.  Rey,  in  1837. 

t  Those  Rolls  of  Arms  which  have  been  printed,  forming  the  best  source  of 
information  on  English  Heraldry,  are  enumerated  in  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Montagu's 
excellent  "Guiile  to  the  Study  <jf  Heraldry  ;"  and  since  that  elegant  publication 
appeared,  a  MS,  collection  of  the  amis  and  quartcrings  of  the  Council  of  the 
Marchers,  chiefly  of  the  time  of  Eli/.aheth,  ha.s  been  [irinted,  by  the  Hon.  R.  H. 
Clive,  among  the  "  Documeuts  connected  with  the  Hisfory  of  Ludlow,"  1841. 


PREFACE.  Vii 

are  here  sIiout).  The  lordly  cognizance  and  the  house- 
hold badge  nave  botli  been  noticed ;  these  were  in  con- 
stant use  from  the  time  of  King  Richard  II.  to  that  of 
King  Henrj  VII.  when  the  number  of  the  retainers  in- 
dicated the  gi-eatncs-3  of  the  family. 

The  most  magnificent  display  of  heraldry  was  afforded 
by  the  splendid  ceremonial  of  the  tournament, 

Where  throi'gs  of  knights  and  harons  bold 
In  weeds  of  peace  high  triumphs  hold. 

The  irregular  luxuriance  of  these  gorgeous  assemblages 
gave  rise  to  the  tenans,  and  supporters  of  arms,  addi- 
tional appendages  of  rank  requisite  to  be  known ;  almost 
equal  splendour  was  shown  in  the  rich  ecclesiastial  em- 
bellishments used  by  the  higher  orders  of  prelates,  and 
not  less  interesting  is  the  monkish  rebus,  rendered  vene- 
rable by  antiquity. 

Another  description  of  illustration  is  derived  from 
coins  and  tokens,  the  devices  on  which  have  an  interest 
in  connexion  with  the  subject.  The  badges  of  tenure, 
the  badges  of  trade,  and  of  merchants  enriched  by  com- 
merce, the  marks  of  printers,  and  even  the  signs  of  inns, 
have  been  found  entitled  to  inquiry.  The  examples 
afforded  by  this  variety  of  representation  furnish  models 
which  may  prove  useful  to  the  artist  who  wishes  to  cul- 
tivate, successfully,  heraldic  embellishments.  In  a  j^ro- 
fessional  point  of  view,  the  utility  of  heraldry  will  be 
readily  admitted;  its  devices  form  evidence,  in  many 
cases,  connected  with  property  and  honours,  and  fre- 
quently identify  or  separate  persons  of  the  same  name 
when  other  means  fail — a  difficulty  constantly  occurring. 
Its  use  also,  without  overrating  its  claims,  soon  becomes 
apparent  to   all  who  wish   to   attain   any  proiiciency  in 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

history,  where  its  Importcinco  in  fixing  in  the  memory 
the  series  and  connexion  of  events  proves  its  value. 
The  painter  will  do  well  to  seek  the  assistance  of  he- 
raldry in  his  representations  of  historical  subjects;  he 
who  feels  its  introduction  as  an  accessary  to  pictorial 
effect,  need  not  be  told,  that  chronological  accuracy 
in  armorial  design  is  equally  requisite  with  fidelity  of 
costume  or  the  correct  portraiture  of  the '  persons  re- 
presented. To  the  architect  heraldry  affords  an  un- 
limited extent  of  enrichment  in  exterior  sculpture; 
and  the  judgment  of  C.  Barry,  R.  A.,  the  architect  of 
the  House  of  Lords,  has  admitted  it,  as  an  important 
feature,  in  the  principal  facade  of  that  splendid  edifice. 
The  introduction  of  arms  in  windows  and  pavements 
also  renders  it  necessary  that  the  architect  should  be 
acquainted,  not  only  with  the  rules,  but  with  the  pecu- 
liar character  of  the  heraldry  of  different  periods.  To 
the  naturalist  it  is  not  entirely  without  interest :  the  late 
illustrious  Cuvier  added  a  knowledge  of  heraldry  to  his 
other  pursuits;  and  the  patient  investigation  of  the 
swan-marks  of  antiquity  by  !Mr.  Yarrell,  in  his  "  History 
of  British  Birds,"  shows  considerable  attention  to  the 
subject:  some  of  those  marks,  as  the  key,  the  crozier, 
and  the  arrow,  on  the  swans  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain, 
the  Abbot  of  Swinstead,  and  of  Eton  College,  bear  a 
close  affinity  to  the  devices  of  heraldry. 

It  has  been  the  custom,  from  the  time  that  heraldry 
was  first  reduced  to  system,  to  arrange  the  variety  of 
armorial  bearings  under  the  natural  and  artificial  figures 
of  which  they  are  composed ;  the  division  of  natural  his- 
tory relating  to  fish  forms  but  a  very  small  part  of  the 
principal  books    in   use  whenever    h^^raldry  is   required. 


PREFACE.  IX 

Guillira,  in  his  celebrated  Display,  devotes  oue  chapter* 
to  skinned  and  scaled  fish,  and  in  anotherj-  he  treats 
of  crusted  and  shelled  fish.  Nisbet,  the  herald  of  Scot- 
land, also,  in  his  System,i  describes  the  heraldry  of  fish 
in  general;  but  both  writers  are  necessarily  very  brief. 
This  part  of  the  subject  appeared  capable  of  sustaining 
a  more  minute  inquiry,  \vithout  descending  into  tedious- 
ness ;  there  is  found  to  be  no  want  of  distinguished  names 
to  give  attraction  to  the  particular  branch  the  author  has 
chosen,  in  which  he  has  endeavoured  to  explain  the  prin- 
ciples of  early  heraldry,  which  is  shown  to  have  been 
rather  territorial  than  personal.  A  greater  number  of 
the  various  species  of  fish  have  been  enumerated;  the 
dolphin,  the  herring,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  have  afforded 
several  engravings,  but  the  salmon  and  trout,  with  the 
pike,  barbel,  and  roach,  and  the  other  fish  of  the  rivers, 
present  the  widest  field  for  inquiry ;  where  the  illustra- 
tions selected  for  this  work  are  professedly  taken  from 
old  examples,  the  copy  has  been  rigidly  followed,  and  in 
the  original  designs  the  peculiar  characters  of  the  difier- 
ent  fish  are  given  with  the  same  attempt  at  accuracy 
which  the  ancient  heralds  would  have  practised  with  the 
same  opportunities :  this  feature  will  not  be  overlooked 
by  the  angler,  the  naturalist,  or  the  antiquary.  Althougli 
military  service  was  the  principal  tenure  by  which  lands 
were  anciently  held,  yet  the  different  modes  of  taking 
fish  by  the  spear,  the  net,  or  the  hook,  are  shown  to  have 
been  indicated  in  the  armorial  ensigns  of  the  lords  of 
manors  deriving  revenue  from  the  produce  of  the  fishery. 
The  boats  employed   in   the  same  service,  whicli   were 

*  Chiiptor  xxii.  of  his  third  section.  t  Chapter  xxiii. 

X  Chapter  vi.  of  the  second  part. 


X  PREFACE. 

at  the  command  of  the  sovereign  in  time  of  war,  and 
formed  the  original  Navy  of  Britain,  distinguish  the  en- 
signs of  the  maritime  lords,  and  the  corporate  bodies 
to  whom  the  jurisdiction  of  the  ports  was  entrusted. 

Heraldry  partaking  largely  of  allegory,  it  became  ne- 
cessary to  allude  to  the  mythological  and  religious  em- 
blems consisting  of  fish,  as  well  as  to  notice  the  many 
compound  animals,  the  fanciful  creations  of  the  classical 
poets ;  these  conceptions,  which  excite  so  much  inquiry, 
rendered  it  more  difficult  to  do  justice  within  a  small 
space  to  a  subject  which  appeared  to  merit  farther  in- 


Marcli, 
1842. 


M 


ILLUSTRATIONS.^ 


Vignette,  containing  the  arms  of  Rosengriin,  Dornhcim,  and  Hanf- 

stengel,  described  at  page  129 
Announcement  of  a  Mermaid 
Pisces,  from  the  Zodiac  of  Denderah    . 
Pisces,  from  ^IS.  in  British  jMuseum 
Pisces,  from  Pavement  in  Canterbury  Cathedral 
Arms  of  Pfreimbt  .  .  . 

Medal  of  Vitellius 

Dolphins,  from  the  Loggie  of  the  Vatican. 
Amphitrite,  from  an  antique  gem 
Arms  of  Admiral  Lord  Hawkc 
Oporinus's  Mark 

Vesica  Piscis,  on  a  paving-tile  at  Exeter    . 
Example  of  fish  hauriant 
Ditto  naiant  .... 

Syracusan  Coin 

Medal  of  Brutus     .  .     •         .     .        . 

Ditto,  Vetjpasian 

Byzantine  Coin       .... 
Courtenay  Standard  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII 
Arms  of  Courtenay  Bishop  of  Winchester 
Aldus's  Mark  .... 

Pickering's  Mark,  including  the  Arms  of  Walton  and  Cotton 
Banner  of  Daupliine 
Arms  of  the  Dauphin 

Arms  of  Franklin  .  .  .       • 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Sir  Thomas  Frankland,  Bart. 
Arms  of  Dolfin  of  Venice 
Ditto  . 

Crest  of  Lord  Godolphin     . 
Arms  and  Crest  of  Monv-pcnny 
Arms  and  Crest  of  Sir  John  Leman 
Arms  of  Vandcput 
Anns  of  Bishop  Fyshar,  from  the  Parliament  Roll 


Page 

1 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

13 

15 

1(? 

17 

17 

18 

19 

2t> 

21 

22 

23 

2o 

2« 

27 

2S 

29 

a* 

32 
33 
34 


"  There  being  so  few  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  fera.ole  talent,  it  Infomes  a  plea- 
sun;  to  mention  that  the  engraviii<,'s  in  this  work  were,  with  two  or  three  exception!*, 
executed  by  M.iRY  and  Elizauetii  Clint  ;  a  s;itisfattory  pn>of  of  their  risijij,'  ability. 


xu 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


34. 
35. 
36. 
37. 
38. 
39. 
40. 
41. 
42. 
43. 
44. 
45. 
46. 
47. 
4S. 
49. 
50. 
51. 
62. 
53. 
54. 
55. 
56. 
57. 
68. 
59. 
60. 
61. 
62. 
63. 
64. 
65. 
66. 


Arms  of  Fleet  .... 

Seal  of  the  Dean  of  Bocking 

Arms  of  Fryer  .... 

Arms  of  Bishop  James,  from  stained  glass  at  Oxford 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Fitz  Jamea 

Ancient  carved  Oak  Panel 

Anns  of  the  Watermen's  Company,  with  Supporters 

Arms  and  Supporters  of  Sir  William  Burnaby 

Dolphins  at  sea  .... 

Arms  of  Whalley  Abbey    .... 

Arms  of  Whalley  .... 

Arms  of  Vaughan  .  ,  .  , 

Harpoon,  from  Rondelet 

Arms  of  Lucy         ..... 

Arms  of  the  Dulce  of  Northumberland,  K.  G. 

Anns  and  Quartcrings  of  the  Earl  of  Sussex,  from  glass  at  Newhall 

Arms  of  Calder  Abbey 

Vane  at  Charlecote 

Arms  of  Lucy,  from  stained  glass  at  Charlecote 

Stained  glass  at  Kingsdown  Church 

Arms  of  Brougham,  from  stained  glass  at  St.  Saviour's  Church 

Arms  of  Fontenay  de  Luc  .... 

Arms  of  Geddes 

Arms  of  Gedney        .         .  .  . 

William  Pickering's  Mark 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Gascoigne 

Arms  of  Fishacre 

Arms  of  Bishop  Robinson 

Arms  of  Garmston 

Banner  of  John  de  Bar 

Seal  of  the  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey 

Seal  of  his  Countess,  Joan  of  Bar 

Arms  and  Mantle  of  Lorraine 

Stafford  Badge        .  .       •       . 

Arms  of  Count  Gravillc,  K.G. 

Arms  of  Colston     .... 

Arms  of  Riviere 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Karpfen 

Arms  of  De  Bloeg 

Tlie  Mahi  of  Mogul 

Arms  of  Viscount  Lake 

Hindu  Fish  and  Lotus         .  .         •     . 

Amis  of  Gobyon 

Arms  of  tlie  Earl  of  Laneshorough 

Arms  of  Goujon 

Arms  of  Oiioltzbach 

Arms  of  Tenclie 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


81.  Amis  and  Crest  of  Sir  Fislier  Tench,  Bart. 

h2.  Amis  of  Breame  ..... 

83.  Arms  of  Abbot  de  la  Mare 

84.  Arms  of  Chobb  ...... 

So.  Seal  of  Thomas  Lord  de  la  Roclie     . 

SG.  Murder  of  St.  Thomas  a  Becket,  from  Abp.  ArmideFs  seal 

87.  Arms  of  Tropenell,  impaling  Roche,  from  Chalfield  Church 

88.  Amis  of  Roche  ...... 

89.  Arms  of  Huyshe      ..... 

90.  Crest  of  Beckford 

91.  Arms  of  Picton 

92.  Crest  of  Fisher  of  Stafford 

93.  Amis  of  Durneford  . 

94.  Arms  of  Chabot,  Count  of  Newblanch,  K.G. 

95.  Crest  of  Gumey        ...... 

96.  Ar.ns  of  Tubbe,  from  stained  glass  at  St.  Neqt's  Clnirch 

97.  Arms  of  Raoul  ..... 

98.  Crest  of  Edridge 

99.  Arms  of  Gradel 

100.  Arms  of  Von  Praromon 

101.  Arms  of  Gloucester 

102.  Seal  of  Kingston 

103.  Seal  of  Lostwithiel 

104.  Seal  of  Coleraine 

105.  Arms  of  the  Earl  O'Neill     . 

106.  Arms  of  Ord       .  ... 

107.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Lord  Bolton 

108.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Sea    . 

109.  Arras  of  Way 

110.  Arms  and  Crest  of  the  Princes  of  Salni 

111.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Knight  of  Glo\icester 

112.  Arms  of  Sanibrooke 

1 13.  Arms  of  Sevington 

114.  Amis  of  the  See  of  Glasgow- 
US.  De%-ice  of  the  Fish  and  the  Ring 

116.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Die  Proy  von  Findel 

117.  Amis  of  Gl\mn 

118.  Crest  of  Von  Ebnet 

119.  The  Pheon 

1 20.  Seal  of  the  to«-n  of  Stafford 

121.  The  Hungcrford  Horn 

122.  Crest  of  Penrose 

123.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Troutbeck 

124.  Kiiiirhts  mounted  ;   with  their  ammrial  tabanls  raid  housinir^,  from  a 

M.S.  temp.  Henrv  VI.  . 

12.').  Arms  of  Everhard   Duke   of  Wirtcmberg,  from   his    monument    at 

Tubingen  ....... 


137 
1.39 


XIV 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


126.  Banner  of  Pfirdt,  from  tlie  Triumph  of  Maximilian 

127.  Crest  of  Jane  .... 

128.  Arms  of  Rotcn   .... 

129.  Arms  of  Mod  villa     .... 

130.  Arms  of  Smelt    .  .  ■  .  . 

131.  Arms  of  Cardinal  Bentivenga 

132.  Arms  of  Umbrell  .  .  . 

133.  Arms  of  Proude        .... 

134.  Seal  of  the  Borough  of  Yarmouth 

135.  Seal  of  Yarmouth  Priory   •  . 

136.  Southwold  Token  . 

137.  Arms  of  Fleringham 

138.  Arms  of  Archbishop  Herring 

139.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Harenc 

140.  Arms  of  Cobb     .... 

141.  Arms  of  Harrington,  from  a  print  by  Elstrackc 

142.  Arms  of  Militon  .  . 

143.  Seal  of  Truro  .... 

144.  Looe  Token        .... 

145.  Arms  of  Bishop  Sprat,  from  Westminster  Abbey 

146.  Arms  of  Sartine 

147.  Arms  of  Maekerell  . 

148.  Crest  of  Haddock 

149.  Arms  of  the  Abbey  of  Petershausen 

150.  Crest  of  Von  Eytzing 

151.  Arms  of  Beck 

152.  Capital  in  Canterbury  Cathedral 

153.  Arms  of  the  Saltfishmongers     . 

154.  Arms  of  the  Stocktishmongers     . 

155.  Arms  of  the  Fislunongers'  Company 

156.  Arms  of  Iceland 

157.  Highland  Fishing-boat,  from  a  sculpture  in  lona 

158.  Seal  of  Campbell  of  Craiginch 

159.  Seal  of  the  Barons  of  Dover 

160.  Arms  of  Habgood 

161.  Seal  of  Wexford       . 

162.  Arms  of  Hackct 

163.  Arms  of  Whiting     . 

164.  Arms  of  Caldwell 

165.  Arms  of  Bishop  Cheney 

166.  Arms  of  Solc'^     . 
i67.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Turbutt 

168.  Crest  of  Lawrence 

169.  Crest  of  BritwesiU    . 

170.  Arms  of  JJukcns 

171.  Arms  of  Fi-ilicr  of  Scotland 

172.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Butts 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


XV 


173.  Anns  of  Ellis  of  Ticvcarc 

174.  Credit  of  Sir  John  Styell 

175.  Anns  of  Cardinal  G<izman 
17G.  Badge  of  Lord  Williams  of  Thame 

177.  Arms  of  Folebome 

178.  Arms  of  Stratele       . 

179.  Arms  of  Conghurst 

1 80.  Arms  of  the  town  of  L\Tin    . 

181.  Arms  of  Radford 

182.  Arms  of  Sturgeon 

183.  Arms  of  Gesse    . 

184.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Sir  Robert  Harland,  Bart. 

185.  Arms  of  Tucker 

186.  Arms  of  Usedom 

187.  Anns  of  Ley  Earl  of  ]Marlbo rough 

188.  Crest  of  Die  Rietter 

189.  Seal  of  Sir  William  Briwere 

190.  Badge  of  Sir  John  Wallop,  K.  G.      . 

191.  Arms  of  Prestwich 

192.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Die  Erstcnbcrgcf 

193.  Arms  of  Sir  Isaac  Heard,  Garter  King  of  Arms 

194.  Banner  of  Lord  Scales 

195.  Badge  of  Goldinfjham      .... 

196.  Saint  James,  from  the  banner  in  the  Royal  Armoury  at  Madrid 

197.  Badge  of  the  Order  of  Saint  James 

198.  Arms  of  Lord  Dacre 

199.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Von  Strachwitz 
2<X).  Arms  of  Shelley 

201.  Arms  and  Crest  of  Von  Melem  . 

202.  Arms  of  Bishop  Attwatcr,  from  the  Parliament  Roll 

203.  Arms  of  Bridger  .... 

204.  Arms  of  Alstanton    .... 

205.  Vignette,  containing  the  arms  of  Bawde,*  and  Jugerde,t  and 

crest  of  the  Counts  Von  Windischgratz  J 


the 


Pap- 
ll»5 
196 
197 
198 
198 
199 
200 
201 
202 
204 
205 
206 
208 
209 
210 
213 
214 
215 
216 
217 
218 
220 
221 
2'2-2 
223 
224 
226 
227 
228 
230 
231 
232 

233 


•  Mentioned  at  page  175. 


t  Page  199. 


J  Page  110. 


C!)e  Jleraltirj  of  fisl). 


HERALDRY,  in  fts  general  application,  is  the  symbol  of  a 
name ;  and  (7r7ni'S  parla7ites,  the  admiration  of  the  heralds,  and 
of  general  use  throughout  Europe,  were  undoubtedly  the  earliest 
devices ;  none  are  more  ancient  than  the  well-known  ensigns  of 
Castile  and  Leon.  The  banner  of  the  feudal  lord  sometimes 
bore  the  particular  produce  of  the  domain,  as  the  pomegranate, 
which  gave  at  once  the  name  and  arms  to  the  kingdom  of 
Granada.  The  mode  of  tenure  was  shown  by  the  cups  adopted 
by  the  Ihitlers  of  Senlis  in  France,  and  allusions  were  made 
in  the  arms  of  the  nobility  to  other  sources  of  their  power 
and  jurisdiction  ;  the  ancient  Counts  of  Wernigerocle,  Master 
Fishers  of  the  empire  of  Germany,  bore  a  fish  as  an  ensign  of 
dignity.* 

Thest'  marks  of  honour,  admirably  adapted  to  the  difterent 
branches  of  tiie  feudal  system,  include  many  forms  then  familiar 
which  liave  now  become  obsolete ;  but  these  specimens  of  he- 
raldry. ev«-n  in  its  state  of  rudeness,  are  not  undeserving  of  in- 
vesti.L'^ition,  as  reflecting  the  manners  of  the  times  in  which  they 
were  composed. 

*  Nisbet's  HoralJrv. 


2  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

The  language  used  in  Englisli  heraldry  is  derived  from  and 
partakes  much  of  the  old  French,  the  same  langTiage  which 
generally  prevailed  in  the  court,  the  camp,  and  the  convent 
during  the  dpiasty  of  the  Norman  Kings  of  England,  and  even 
down  to  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  Without  the  aid  of  a  glossary, 
in  explanation  of  many  terms  now  disused,  the  whole  import  of 
the  subject  can  hardly  be  comprehended.  Distingoiished  names, 
also,  naturally  give  rise  to  historical  associations  ;  and  the  in- 
terest w^hich  the  allusion  is  capable  of  inspiring  must  conse- 
quently be  proportionate  to  the  previous  knowledge  possessed  of 
more  than  the  leading  points  of  early  history. 

In  the  primitive  ages  learning  was  not  easy  of  acquisition,  and 
natural  history  was  almost  unknown  :  from  works  constructed 
upon  the  models  of  Pliny,  Dioscorides,  and  Aristotle,  the  know- 
ledge of  fish  to  be  obtained  Is  perfectly  valueless  to  the  enquirer 
of  the  present  day.  The  Roman  author  enumerates  one  hundred 
and  seventy-six  kinds  of  fish,  but  It  is  now  well  known  that 
there  are  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  sixty  species  of  British 
fish  alone  ;  of  these,  one  cabinet,  that  of  Mr.  Yarrell,  a  persever- 
ing naturalist,  contains  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  dis- 
tinct specimens.  Such  has  been  the  rapid  advance  of  inform- 
ation in  recent  times,  that  in  his  work  on  the  subject  he  has  been 
enabled  to  describe  a  greater  number  by  one-fourth  than  had  yet 
appeared  In  any  British  catalogue  of  fishes. 

It  is  understood  that  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  eartFs  surface 
is  covered  with  water,  and  that  the  Pacific  ocean  alone  is  greater 
than  the  whole  dry  land  of  the  globe  put  together. 

In  the  British  Museum  are  now  preserved  nearly  one  thousand 
five  hundred  different  species  of  fish ;  and  in  the  Museum  at 
Paris,  which  is  considered  to  be  extremely  rich  in  specimens  of 
the  finny  tribe,  there  are  not  less  than  five  thousand,  a  number 
annually  Increased  by  discovery  from  the  vast  resources  now  at 
the  command  of  science. 

Heralds  are  not  Inattentive  to  natural  history,  the  whole  range 
of  which  Is  employed  by  them  ;  but  they  use  the  variety  of  sub- 
jects afforded  by  that  delightful  study  with  reference  only  to 
•  their  own  particular  pursuit,  and  not  always  without  Indulging  in 
fables.  Heraldry  also  partakes  of  much,  in  conmion  with  poetry, 
which  delights  in  fiction,  and  both  are  found  important  assistants 
in  the  representation  of  early  manners.  .  By  this  constant  refer- 
ence to  antiquity  are  the  heralds  guided  in  their  appropriation 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  3 

of  the  different  species  of  the  animal  kingdom,  wliich  is  pro- 
ductive of  an  arrangement  of  snbjects  widely  diftering  from  that 
of  the  scientific  naturalist,  whose  theory  and  classification  i^^ 
purposely  intended  for  practical  use,  and  for  the  immediate  beuffit 
of  mankind. 

Few  points  of  natural  history  were  formerly  less  known  than 
fish  ;  the  dolphin  and  the  whale,  belonging  in  modern  science 
to  a  class  which  is  yet  but  imperfectly  investigated,  were  fishes 
to  the  earlier  naturalists.  The  seal,  or  sea-calf  of  heraldry, 
was  also  considered  a  fish,  and  permitted  by  the  monkish  rules 
to  be  eaten  on  fish-days.  The  otter,  it  is  true,  had  a  like  dis- 
tinction, which  is  noticed  by  Isafik  Walton.  The  tritons^  and 
mermaids  of  classical  mythology  were  purely  emblematical ; 
but,  upon  not  improbable  grounds,  have  been  derived  from  the 
amphibious  habits  of  the  seal.  The  last  mermaid  that  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  naturalists  is  now  known  to  have  been  skil- 
fully manufiictured  by  a  Chinese  from  the  upper  parts  of  a 
monkey  and  the  tail  of  a  salmon,  for  the  purpose  of  deception. 


This  singular  creature  was  brought  to  Batavia  from  '^onie  of  tlie 
neighbouring  islands  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  The 
lower  part  of  the  body,  enveloped  in  its  scaly  covering,  was  lost 
in  the  natural  form  of  a  fish  ;  but  its  appearance  was  little  cal- 
culated to  realize  the  fanciful  idea  of  an  animal  famed  for  its 
personal  beauty.  Bishop  Cosins  account  of  a  whale,  also, 
stated  to  have  been  taken  on  the  coast  of  Durham  in  the  reign 
«»f  Charles  II,  an  ingenious  fiction,  for  a  time  deceived  the 
Zoologists  of  the  present  day. 


4  THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

Deeply  occupied  in  the  iidvancemont  of  his  favourite  science, 
the  enlightened  naturahst  has  not  often  either  time  or  patience 
to  investigate  the  quaint  devices  of  antiquity,  or  to  trace  the 
heraldic  hadge  to  its  origin,  which  invariably  attract  the  notice 
of  the  poet  and  the  consideration  of  the  antiquary :  to  them  the 
herahlr)-  of  early  ages  is  a  sulject  of  inexhaustible  interest. 

The  earhest  known  device  of  fish,  the  Zodiacal  sign,  is  em- 
blematical of  the  fishery  of  the  Nile,  commencing  in  the  month 
of  February,  about  the  time  when  the  suu  enters  Pisces,  which 
is  the  best  season  for  fishing,  according  to  Pliny ;  and  of  the 
great  abundance  and  delicacy  of  the  fish  in  Egypt  all  authors 
ancient  and  modern  are  agreed. 

Modern  travellers  relate  that  the  walls  of  the  temple  of  Den- 
derah  are  literally  covered  with  magnificent  sculpture  and  paint- 
ing. The  figures  representing  the  Zodiac  are  on  the  ceiling  of 
the  portico,  and  are  engraved  in  the  great  work  on  Egypt  pub- 
lished by  order  of  the  French  government. 


The  signs  of  the  Zodiac  were  trequently  sculptured  on  the 
exterior  of  ancient  churches,  presenting  a  sort  of  rural  calendar 
for  the  labours  of  tjie  field  each  month  in  the  vear,  which  was 
of  practical  use 

When  in  the  Zodiac  the  fish  wheel  round, 
They  loose  the  lioods  and  irrigate  the  ground. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  5 

lu  his  directions  to  the  husbandman  for  the  month  of  Februarv, 
old  Tusser  says, 

To  the  coast,  man,  ride.  Lent  stuff  to  provide  ; 

with  another  couplet  in  encouragement  of  the  fisherman, 

The  land  doth  will,  the  sea  doth  w-ish. 
Spare  sometimes  flesh,  and  feed  off  fish. 

The  Zodiacal  signs  also  appear  as  an  ornament  on  antitiuc 
vases,  coins,  pavements,  &c. ;  and  are  painted  in  bright  colour- 
on  the  inside  of  several  mummy  cases  noM"  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum. A  manuscript  in  the  Cottonian  Library*  ^shows  tlie  si'/n 
Pisces  having  a  connecting  line  from  the  tail  of  each  fish. 


The  most  interesting  portions  of  the  sculpture  on  the  j)orih 
of  the  Virgin,  in  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  at  Paris,  are 
the  compartments  representing  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  ami  the 
labours  of  the  different  months,  all  which  were  originally  puiutf.l 
and  gilt.  Another  curious  Zodiac  on  the  porch  of  the  chun  li 
of  Saint  Nicholas,  at  CivTay,  in  Poitou,  is  engraved  in  Willemin'-* 
"  Monumens  Frangais."  The  Anglo-Nurm:m  doorway  of  Saint 
Margaret's  church  in  Walmgate,  York,  is  enriched  with  f..ur 
mouldings,  one  of  which  is  sculptured  with  the  signs  of  the  Zo- 
diac alternately  with  the  agricultural  labours  of  the  months. 
They  are  also  carved  on  one  of  the  porches  of  ^lerton  ColKge, 
Oxford  ;  and  the  sign  Pisces  appears  uu  the  western  doorway 
of  Tffley  church,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  Anglo- 
Norman  architecture  in  the  kingdom. 
♦  MS.  Tib.  B.  5. 


6  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

At  the  fast  end  of  the  cathedral  of  Canterbury,  in  a  chapel 
near  Becket's  crown,  are  consideraljle  remahis  of  a  pavement 
executed  in  an  early  stage  of  art ;  the  large  stones,  rudely 
inlaid,  hear  figures  of  the  Zodiacal  signs  in  circular  compart- 
ments.    That  of  the  t,ign  Pisces  is  here  shown. 


This  pavement  attracts  the  notice  of  the  curious  as  the  only 
indication  of  the  once  magnificent  shrine  of  Saint  Thomas  a 
Becket,  and  was  probably  designed  and  executed  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  I.  during  the  prelacy  of  Archbishop  Peckham,  when 
many  costly  additions  were  made  to  this  Cathedral  under  the 
(hrection  of  Henry  Eastry,  one  of  the  Priors  distinguished  for 
his  taste  and  liberaHty,  and  who  is  recorded  to  have  enriched 
the  choir  with  carvings.  The  revenues  of  the  convent  and 
church  were  then  very  considerable,  and  were  increased  by 
treasures  which  flowed  in  at  the  celebration  of  the  festival  of 
Saint  Thomas,  an  anniversary  of  the  highest  splendour,  and 
to  which  we  are  indebted  for  one  of  the  earliest  poems  in  the 
Englisii  language,  "  The  Canterbury  Tales  "  of  Chaucer. 
•  A  solitary  modern  instance  of  the  application  of  these  em- 
blems is  at  Penrhyn  Castle,  the  seat  of  the  late  G.  H.  Dawkins 
Pennant,  Esq.,  a  mansion  on  the  site  of  a  palace  of  one  of  the 
Princes  of  Wales,  erected  in  a  castelhited  style  of  architecture, 
near  Bangor.  Two  large  and  beautiful  windows  in  tho  gnat 
hall  contain  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  with  vepresontati(uis  of  the 
labours  of  tlie  corresponding  months,  all  of  the  richi-.-t  colours, 
painted  l)y  Willement  in  1835. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  7 

One  of  the  signs,  Sagittarius,  assumed  as  the  heraldic  en«;I,rn 
of  King  Stephen,  is  said  to  be  in  aHusion  to  the  Zodiacal  po-iiion 
of  the  sun  at  the  time  he  ascended  the  throne  of  England.  A 
i?iniilar  reference  to  the  month  of  February  may  have  influenced 
the  assumption  of  arms  resembling  the  sign  Pisces,  borne  by  the 
town  of  Pfreimbt  in  Germany.  They  are  here  copied  frum 
Sibmacher"'s  "  Wapenbuch,"  1 605  ;  the  fish  and  rays  are  white, 
in  an  azure  field,  with  stars  of  gold. 


The  sign  Pisces,  according  to  some  of  the  French  heralds,  is 
composed  of  dolphins,  which  Venus  placed  in  the  Zodiac  :  a 
dolphin  is  sculptured  at  her  feet,  in  the  most  celebrated  statue  of 
this  goddess  at  Florence,  to  indicate  her  origin  from  the  sea  :  but 
the  favourite  of  Venus,  amongst  fish,  was  the  minnow,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  in  its  form  and  marks. 


The  dolphin,  in  the  mythology,  was  sacred  to  Apollo,  and  i- 
rej)resented  on  a  tripod  in  the  reverse  of  a  medal  struck  in  tlit 
reign  of  ViteUius.* 

*  Aut.  Augubliui  Numism.  Rom.  1654. 


8  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

As  an  emblem  of  the  sea,  the  dolphins  appear  in  brilliant 
colours  in  the  Hose  de  Mer^  or  large  v.estern  window  of  Amiens 
cathedral.  The  sixteen  compartments  ioto  which  this  circular 
window  is  divided,  arc  filled  with  stained  glass,  representing 
dolphins  and  sea-shells  of  several  kinds,  together  with  the  rebus 
and  arms  of  Nicholas  <le  Cocjuerel,  one  of  the  canons  of  Amiens, 
who  died  in  1465.  The  dolphin  is  also  introduced  in  the  ara- 
besque ornaments  of  tlio  beautiful  stained  glass  windows  of  Mou- 
lins  cathedral. 

In  allegory,  the  dolph-n  was  often  employed  ae  an  emblem  of 
the  sea  :  it  is  rudely  sculptured  on  several  of  the  Etruscan  sar- 
cophagi forming  part  of  the  collection  of  antiques  in  the  British 
Museum,  and  is  found  painted  as  an  ornament  in  many  apart- 
ments of  the  houses  at  Pompeii,  with  little  resemblance  to  the 
dolphin  of  natural  history.  The  same  disregard  of  its  true  form 
is  exhibited  by  the  earlier  painters,  particularly  in  the  celebrated 
Loggie  of  Eaphael.  The  walls  of  the  Vatican,  pauited  by  him, 
are  designed  upon  the  model  of  classical  decorations  which  he 
had  discovered  in  the  baths  of  Titus,  where  the  dolphins  had 
been  introduced,  with  propriety,  as  a  marine  emblem. 


Without  ascribing  to  heraldry  any  positive  connection  with 
classical  allegory,  it  yet  appears  requisite  to  notice  the  badges  of 
antiquity  as  the  probable  prototype  of  many  existing  bearings  in 
coat  armour.  This  view  of  the  subject  has  not  been  entirely 
overlooked.  "  A  discourse  of  the  origin  of  heraldry,  demonstrat- 
ing upon  what  rational  foundation  the  science  is  established,'' 
was  published  in  167:2  by  Thomas  Philipot,  a  poet  and  anti- 
quary, the  son  of  Somerset  Herald.  This  work  refers  chiefly  to 
antique  coins  and  medals,  and  the  symbols  impressed  upon  them. 
It  is  of  little  use  to  the  heraldic  enquirer,  as  the  author  has 
omitted  all  allusion  to  the  history  of  the  middle  ages,  with  which 
his  subject  was  so  closely  connected.  A  few  instances  are  here 
given  of  the  dolphin  eniployt-d  as  a  poetical  r«i.resentation  i>f 
the  sea,  to  show  the  reason  of  its  frequent  heraldic  ajtplicatiou  in 
the  same  manner. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  9 

To  obtain,  favour  of  Amphitrlte,  who  had  made  a  vow  of 
eternal  celibacy,  Neptune  assumed  the  form  of  a  dolphin  ;  ami 
the  nymph,  as  emblenuitical  of  her  passion  for  the  sea,  is  always 
represented  in  a  car  drawn  by  dolphins,  as  in  the  beautiful 
antique  cornelian  formerly  in  the  Earl  of  Clanbrassirs  cabinet, 
and  etched  bv  Worlidge,  in  his  Collection  of  Gems,  in  17G8. 


^"^^m^^^^^ 


The  ocean  was  a  deity,  whose  protection  was  invoked  by  the 
Romans  on  the  occasion  of  any  voyage :  he  is  represented  seuteil 
on  waves  with  grapes  in  his  hair  and  dolphins  in  his  beard.  15y 
the  goddess  Tethys,  whose  name  is  familiar  as  a  poetical  expres- 
sion for  the  sea,  he  was  the  lather  of  the  Oceanides,  who  ruliil 
the  tempest.  To  his  son  Proteus,  Oceanus  confided  the  care  ol'. 
the  fish,  or,  as  Virgil  Siiys,  translated  by  Drydeu,  ''to  keep  Ins 
scaly  flocks." 

High  o'er  the  main  in  waterj'  pomp  he  rides. 
His  azure  car  and  finny  coursers  guides. 

Neptune  himself,  with  his  classical  attributes,  or,  as  the  heralds 
describe  the  figure,  ijr(j})er,  was  made  the  subject  of  a  grant  ot 
arms,  for  eminent  services  at  sea,  to  Admiral  Lord  Flawke  ot 
Towton.  whose  signal  victory  over  the  French  lleet  under  A«l- 
niiral  C(MiHans,  in  November  1759,  was  obtained  during  one  of 
the  most  violent   storms   ever  \vituesse<i   bv  the   oldest   seaman. 


10 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


I3j  the  gallant  comniander''s  intrepid  conduct  a  long  prepared 
invasion  of  the  enemy  was  broken  and  dispelled,  in  a  manner  that 
brought  forcibly  to  mind  the  design  and  fate  of  the  Spanish 
Armada ;  the  defeat  of  which  was,  at  that  time,  the  safety  of 
England,  and  the  lasting  renown  of  the  English  navy.* 


fcCSf. 


An  instance  of  Neptune  employed  in  heraldry  had  been  pre- 
viously given  in  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Monypenny,  with 
the  motto  "  Imperat  sequor,""  he  governs  the  sea ;  in  allusion 
probably  to  their  estate  on  the  coast  of  Fifeshire.  An  engraving 
of  this  device  will  be  found  in  a  subsequent  page. 

The  dolphin  of  the  ancients  is  more  particularly  famed  in  the 
story  of  Arion,  the  celebrated  musician  of  Lesbos,  the  melotlious 
sweetness  of  whose  lyre  attracted  a  number  of  dolphins  roiind 
his  ship ;  and  when  afterwards  he  threw  himself  into  the  sea,  in 
fear  of  his  life,  one  of  them  carried  him  safely  on  his  back  to 
shore. 


*  The  arms  of  Lord  Ilawke  of  Touton  in  Yorksliire,  are,  argent,  a  cherron  enninois 
between  three  boatswains  whistles  erect,  proper.  Cre>t,  on  a  wTeath  a  hawk  rising 
proper,  chanrod  on  the  lifeast  witli  a  lleiir-de-lis.  buppor:er>,  on  the  dexter  side  Xeptune 
crowned,  standing'  upon  a  dolpliiii,  and  bearing  in  his  riuht  hand  the  trident,  all  proper; 
on  the  sinister  a  sea-horse  holding  an  union  Hag  in  his  dexter  jxiw,  propi-r.    Motto,  Strike. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


11 


A  cinque  cento  version  of  this  classical  fable,  encircle<l  with 
the  heroic  motto,  "  luvia  virtuti  nulla  est  via,*"  implviuy  that 
valour  and  virtue  surmount  everything,  was  adopted  in  15G()  a.s 
a  mark  by  Oporinus,  one  of  the  famous  German  printers. 

In  this  device,  one  amongst  a  number  of  grutesque  and  extra- 
ordinary ornaments  of  the  early  press, 

A  fiddler  on  a  fisli  through  waves  advanced  ; 
He  twang'd  his  catgut,  and  the  dolphin  danted. 


y€f)%p^\ 


^i-~r 


V 


John  Herbst  of  Basle,  better  known  by  the  name  of  Oporinus, 
was  highly  esteemed  in  his  profession;  he  printed  none  but  the 
best  manuscripts,  and  published  no  book  which  lie  luul  not  him- 
self corrected.  Having  joined  in  partnership  with  Kobert  Whi- 
ter,  they  both,  agreeably  to  the  practice  of  the  learned  men  of 
that  period,  adopted  classical  names  ;  Herbst  assuming  that  of 
Oporinus,  a  Greek  word  signifying  autumn  ;  and  Winter,  f<ir 
the  same  reason,  took  that  of  Chimerinus,  apparently  to  humour 
tiie  lines  of  Martial's  epigram  : 

Si  daret  Autumnub  niihi  nnmoii,  Oporinus  ci6<.in. 
Horridu  si  Bninuu  sidcia,  Chiniciuuis. — Ep.  Lx. 


12 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


There  are  very  few  fishes  named  in  the  sacred  Scriptures, 
the  most  interesting  portion  of  ancient  literature ;  Dag,  the 
Hebrew  for  fish,  appears  to  be  a  general  name  of  aquatic  animals. 
As  the  Greek  word  for  fish,  Ictis,  contained  initials  emblematical 
of  Christ,  a  fish  was  a  very  favourite  symbol  of  the  early  Chris- 
tians ;  and  the  vesica  piscis,  a  rough  outline  of  a  fish,  formed  of 
two  curves  meeting  in  a  point  at  their  extremities,  was  made  to 
enclose  the  holy  symbol. 


This  image  was  sculptured  upon  tombs  and  sepulchral,  urns, 
as  well  as  upon  seals  and  rings,  and  its  form  is  shoA\Ti  on  part  of 
a  pavement  found  near  the  conduit  in  South  Street,  Exeter,  in 
September  1833.  The  same  figure  is  also  upon  one  of  the  tiles 
preserved  at  Caen  in  Normandy  :  both  have  been  engraved  in 
the  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

The  Virgin  in  a  canopy,  or  Vesica  piscis  round  which  the 
four  Evangelists  are  disposed,  is  not  uncommon  in  the  old 
churches.  It  is  mentioned  in  Mr.  Hope's  "  Historical  Essay  on 
Architecture,"  at  Ravenna,  where  the  fish  also  appears  on  the 
ancient  convex  marble  ambones,  or  pulpits,  which  have  been  in- 
serted in  the  walls  of  the  modern  cathedral.  On  the  origin  of 
this  custom  the  curious  may  consult  Eucyclop^die  M6thodique 
Antiq.  tom.  iii. 

Of  all  classes  of  natural  history,  that  of  fishes  is  the  most  diffi- 
cult to  divide  into  orders,  as  remarked  by  Cuvier,  who  devoted 
his  hfe  to  the  study  of  the  science.  There  is,  indeed,  nothing 
more  remarkable  than  the  infinite  variety  and  singularity  of  the 
figures  and  shape s  of  fishes :  their  forms  are  considered  to  be 
more  extraordinary  than  those  of  any  other  department  of  the 
animal  kingdom. 

The  attention  of  heralds  was  direeted  hierely  to  the  chief 
characteristic   features  of  animals,    and  the  most   i^enerous  and 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


13 


noblest  qualities  belonging  to  the  species  are  usuallv  <lesfribotl, 
Beasts  of  savage  nature  are  represented  in  fierce  a'^-encv  :  the 
lion  rampant  is  a  lion  prepared  for  action ;  the  boar  is  shown 
with  tuslvs,  and  the  stag  with  his  proper  attire  ;  the  horse  is 
represented  in  lull  speed,  or  courant ;  the  greyhound  coursiuLT. 
and  the  deer  tripping;  but  the  wolf  is  described  as  passant, 
agreeably  to  his  natural  disposition,  moving  step  by  step. 

As  the  SATnbol  of  a  name,  almost  all  fij^h  have  been  used  in 
heraldry  ;  and  in  many  instances  fish  have  been  assumed  in  arms 
in  reference  to  the  produce  of  the  estate,  giving  to  the  ([uaint 
device  a  twofold  interest.  They  are  borne  upright  and  extended, 
and  when  feeding  are  termed  devouring ;  Allume,  when  tlu-ir 
eyes  are  bright,  and  Pame,  when  their  mouths  are  open. 


All  the  terms  used  in  describing  their  positions  are  old  French. 
Hauriant,  a  word  now  obsolete,  means  fish  raised  upright,  in 
which  manner,  with  their  heads  above  water,  fish  refresh  them- 
selves by  sucking  in  the  air ;  Naiant,  from  the  same  ancient 
.source,  denotes  the  swimming  position. 


The  arrangement  of  subjects  having  but  very  slight  reference 
to  the  classification  of  the  naturalist,  is  adopted  to  ex[)!ain  the 
heraldic  application  of  the  several  species  of  Ht-h. 


14  THE    HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


I.— The  DOLPHIN  and  the  WHALE. 

IL— The  PIKE,  LUCE,  or  GED,  and  FLYING-FISH. 

III.— The  BARBEL,  CARP,  GUDGEON,  TENCH,  BREAM,    ROACH, 
'dace,  CHUB,  MINNOW,  and  LOACH. 

IV.— The  CHABOT,  GURNARD,  MULLET,  and  PERCH. 

v.- The  SALMON,  TROUT,  SMELT,  and  GRAYLING,  with  their 
enemy  the  OTTER. 

VI.— The  HERRING,  PILCHARD,  and  SPRAT. 

VII.— The  MACKAREL. 

VIII.— Tlie  HADDOCK,  COD,  HAKE,  LING,  WHITING,  and  BURBOT. 

IX.— The  SOLE,  TURBOT,  PLAICE,  and  FLOUNDER. 

X.— The  EEL,  CONGER,  and  LAMPREY. 

XL— The  STURGEON. 

XII.— The  DOG-FISH,  SEA  LIONS,  and  other  monsters. 

XIII.— The  SEAL,  MERMAID,  and  TRITON. 

XIV.— SHELLFISH. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


15 


'Etz  i3plp&ut  antt  tf}t  WiWt* 

The  dolphin  by  heralus  is  considered  the  chief  of  fish,  as  the 
lion  is  of  beasts  aud  the  eagle  of  birds;  so  distinguished  pro- 
bably from  the  beauty  of  its  form,  and  from  its  being  found  more 
frequently  depicted  in  heraldic  bearings  than  any  other  particu- 
lar species  :  this  arises  from  the  dolphin  being  used  as  a  general 
type  of  fish,  as  in  the  arms  of  the  Fishmongers'  Company,  in 
which  it  is  conspicuous,  and  also  from  its  being  sometimes  as- 
sumed in  relation  to  naval  affairs. 

The  heraldic  representations  of  the  dolphin  are  supposed  to 
be  little  consonant  with  truth  ;  but  an  apologist  is  found  in  one 
of  the  most  able  and  accomplished  naturalists  of  the  present 
day.  Mr.  Bell,  in  his  History  of  the  Cetacea,  gives  a  descrip- 
tion of  its  form  and  colour,  which  is  blackish  on  the  back, 
greyish  on  the  sides,  and  glittering  white  beneath.  Afler  the 
fullest  particulars  of  its  organization,  he  says,  "  It  requires  some 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  identify  the  blunt  round-headed 
creature,  with  its  curved  back  and  spiny  fins,  as  it  is  pictured, 
with  the  straight  sharp-beaked  animal,"  of  which  a  true  repre- 
sentation is  prefixed  to  his  account.  But  even  here,  the  learned 
author  continueSj  "there  aie  exceptions  to  this  general  censure, 
and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  at  once  recognising  the  common 
dolphin  in  the  animal  which  is  represented  on  the  reverse  of  a 
Syracusan  coin  in  the  British  Museum,  of  which  this  engraving 
is  an  accurate  copy,"  * 


BfU's  Dritish  (Quadrupeds  P-  •I''-" 


16 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


The  naturali!?t  very  properly  disregards  those  peculiarities  of 
outward  furni,  the  fins  and  the  tail,  so  necessary  to  the  dolphin 
as  an  inhahitant  of  the  sea  ;  and,  upon  a  firm  principle  of  or- 
ganization, both  the  dolphin  and  the  whale,  fishes  in  heraldry^ 
now  form  under  the  head  of  Cetacea  a  peculiar  class  of  mam- 
malia, Ray  and  Pennant  being  the  lust  naturalists  who  admitted 
them  as  fish. 

Some  difference  has  been  attempted  to  be  made  between  the 
dolphin  of  natural  history  and  the  dolphin  of  poetry,  or  that 
which  is  depicted  in  heraldry  ;  but  there  is  no  satisfactory  reason 
to  doubt  that  one  and  the  same  animal  or  fish  is  intended.  In 
the  tropical  regions  numbers  will  follow  and  surround  a  ship 
with  the  most  eager  delight,  and  hence  has  arisen  their  reputed 
attachment  to  mankind.  They  are  described  by  mariners  as 
ghstening  most  beautifully  in  the  sun,  and  displaying  the  most 
extraordinary  agility ;  their  gambols  being  accompanied  by  jets 
of  water  from  their  nostrils,  and  their  brilliant  coats  sparkling 
and  flashing  in  the  sun  quite  splendidly.* 

The  dolphin  is  found  on  the  shores  of  Great  Britain,  and 
occasionally  in  the  rivers  Ribble  and  Severn.  It  was  employed 
on  the  early  Greek  coins  of  Sicily  as  an  emblem  of  the  sea  ;  and 
was  subsequently  used  on  the  money  of  the  Roman  consul, 
Caius  Marius,  the  son  of  a  peasant  of  Arpinimi,  as  a  rebus  ou 
his  name. 


A  dolphin  surmounting  an  ancho'r,  represented  on  one  of  the 
medals  struck  during  the  consulate  of  Lucius  Junius  Brutus, 
was  intended  to  denote  the  dominion  of  the  republic  of  Rome  in 
the  Mediterranean.-f- 

•  See  Captain  Basil  Hall's  Fragments  of  VovKires. 

t  Ant,  Augiistiui  Numisni.  Regiim.  Imp,  Rom,  1»J34,  tab.  5. 


■■•*•-> 


THE   HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


17 


Imperial  Rome  affonls  an  instance  of  nearly  the  same  ilt-viee, 
on  a  medal  of  Vespasian;  a  dolphin  entwining  an  anchor  was 
used  to  indicate  the  Emperor's  naval  superiority.  The  hirth  of 
Vespasian  was  not  noble,  and  it  was  in  his  advanced  age  that  he 
was  raised  to  the  throne  of  the  CVesars.  In  Paradin's  "  Ileroicai 
Devises,"  the  dolphin  and  anchor  is  attributed  to  Vts[)asiaii, 
with  the  motto  "  Festina  lente,""  afterwards  used  by  the  Shrop- 
shire family  of  Onslow,  as  a  play  upon  their  name. 


Byzantium,  from  its  advantageous  position,  appeared  to  have 
been  formed  for  the  centre  and  capital  of  a  great  monarchy  ;  the 
Propontis  being  renowned  for  an  inexhaustible  store  of  the  m<)-«t 
exquisite  fish,  that  were  taken  in  their  stated  seasons  without 
skill  and  almost  without  labour,  and  the  profits  of  this  fishery  con- 
stituted the  principal  revenue  of  the  city.  The  device  on  the 
more  ancient  coins  is  a  dolphin  entwined  on  the  trident,  or 
sceptre  of  Neptune.* 


A  dolphin,  one  of  the  ensigns  of  the  Greek  empire,  is  borne  by 
the  Courtenay  family  as  representatives  of  a  branch  of  that  ilhis- 
trions  house,  which  once  bore  the  title  of  Angustn>,  and  >n.>taiiH-d 
the  honours  of  the  purple  as  Emperors  of  Constautinuph'. 

*  Gibbon's  Rome,  and  Ball's  Antiiiuitics  of  Consuuitini^plo. 

C 


18 


THE  HERALDRY  OF  FISH. 


The  Lords  of  Oounena}'-  in  Gatinois,  vassals  of  the  crown  of 
France,  were  amongst  the  heroes  of  the  first  crusade :  a  daughter 
of  Reginald  Court enay  formed  an  alliance  with  the  Sang  RoyaL 
Peter  Courteuaj,  their  son,  became  Emperor  of  Constantinople  in 
1217;  and  his  two  sons,  Robert  and  Baldwin,  successively  enjoyed 
the  same  dignity. 

Reguuild,  Lord  of  Okehampton,  descended  from  the  Courte- 
nays  of  France,  was  the  patriarch  of  the  Courtenays,  Earls  of 
Devonshire,  who  contracted  alliances  with  the  noblest  families  : 
their  arms,  denoting  affinity  with  Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  and  the 
old  Counts  of  BoiJogTie,  or,  three  torteauxes,  with  a  label  azure, 
are  heraldically  described  in  the  contemporary  poem  of  the  Siege 
of  Carlaverock.  The  name  of  Courtenay  is  found  conspicuous  in 
the  original  list  of  the  Knights  of  the  Garter ;  and  in  the  wars  of 
the  Plantagenets  the  family  were  adherents  of  the  house  of 
Lancaster.  One  of  the  daughters  of  King  Edward  IV.  married 
William  Earl  of  L^evonshire  ;  and  their  son,  Henry  Courtenay, 
Marquess  of  Exeter,  a  favourite  of  King  Henry  the  Eighth, 
broke  a  lance  with  the  French  monarch  on  the  field  of  the  cloth 
of  gold. 

Sir  William  Courtenay  of  Powderham  Castle,  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Hugh,  the  first  Earl  of  Devonshire,  in  the  same 
reign  bore  on  his  emblazoned  standard  dolphins,  the  device  of 
dominion,  in  reference  to  '■'■  the  purple  of  three  Emperors." 


The  standard,  four  yards  in  length,  differed  from  a  banner  in 
form  :  the  latter,  nearly  square,  contained  the  arms,  and  iii  this 
form  the  royal  standard  at  Windsor  Castle  is  now  made ;  but 
the  ancient  standard  of  a  knight,  long  and  narrow,  and  split  at 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


19 


the  end,  bore  tlie  cross  of  Saint  Gcorg-e,  and  was  also  chari;tMl 
with  his  badge  or  crest,  and  motto,  but  not  with  the  arms.* 

This  noble  and  inustrious  family  also  attained  the  highest 
honour  in  the  church.  William  Courtenay,  the  son  of  Hugh 
Earl  of  Devonshire,  by  Margai-et  Bohun,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of 
Hereford,  became  successively  Bishop  of  Hereford  and  London, 
and  in  1381  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  The  college  he  foundi'd 
at  Maidstone  is  a  proof  of  his  munificent  spirit.  Another  learn«'d 
and  accomplished  prelate,  Peter  Courtenay,  son  of  Sir  Pliilip 
Courtenay  of  Powderham,  by  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Lord  Hun- 
gerford,  was  Bishop  of  Exeter  in  1478,  and  Bi>hop  of  Winchester 
in  1487.  His  arms,  environed  by  the  dolphins  of  Constantinople, 
are  represented  on  a  compartment  of  one  of  the  chimney-pieces 
in  the  episcopal  palace  at  Exeter. 


This  piece  of  sculpture  appears  not  to  have  been  executed  until 
after  the  bishop's  removal  to  Winchester,  as  It  bears  the  ann^  of 
that  see,  a  sword  between  two  keys,  the  united  emblems  of  the 
apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  commemorative  of  the  dedication 
of  Winchester  Cathedral. 

The  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  house  of  Courtenay  has 
l)een  rendered  more  familiar  than  that  of  any  other  noble  fanuly 

•  ExccrpUi  Historica,  IB.'^l,  a  work  of  much  information  n>sp.-cun^'  the  progress  of  the 
arts  including  heraldrv,  and  wliatcvor  presents  ch.-iractcristic  foatun's  of  former  age*. 

c2 


20  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

by  the  eloquent  narrative  of  Gibbon.  The  present  nobleman  is 
the  tenth  Earl  of  Devon  ;  but  the  title  was  dormant  from  the 
year  1556  till  1831,  when  it.was  adjudged  by  the  House  of  Lords 
to  William  Viscount  Courtenay,  cousin  of  the  present  Earl  of 
Devon,  to  whom  his  lordship  succeeded  in  1835.* 

As  a  well-known  symbol  of  the  principal  seat  of  the  Greek 
empire,  the  dolphin  was  adopted  as  a  device  by  the  celebrated 
Aldus,  the  best  but  not  the  earliest  printer  of  Gi-eek,  whose  works 
are  known  to  every  scholar  :  as  an  original  benefactor  to  the 
literature  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  he  stood  high ;  and  as  an 
editor  he  was  considered  of  the  first  rank.  The  state  of  the 
manuscripts  he  prepared  for  the  press  required  the  assistance  of 
the  most  learned  amongst  his  contemporaries. 


By  his  son  and  grandson  the  business  of  a  printer  was  continued 
till  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1 597  ;  and  ^nth  him  ended  the  glory 
of  the  Aldinc  press,  established  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the 
productions  of  which  are  of  the  highest  value  both  for  accuracy 
and  beauty. 

The  classical  and  tasteful  device  of  Aldus,  a  dolphin  entwined 
on  an  anchor,  was  adopted  l»y  Mr.  Pickering  for  his  Aldine 
edition  of  the  British  Poets  ;  with  an  eye  probably  to  this  pro- 
phetic distich. 

Would  you  still  be  safely  landed 

On  the  ^Udine  author  ride  : 
Never  yet  was  vessel  stranded 

With  the  dolphin  by  its  side.f 

Mr.  Pickering"'s  device  is  also  sho^Ti  in  an  ornamental  com- 

•  Report  of  Pnveedincs  on  the  I'hiini  to  the  Earldom,  with  nnte<!  and  an  appendix,  by 
Sir  Harris  Xicola.s,  lf!3-2. 

t  Gentlinwn's  Maijazine  for  1J!;5G. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


partmeut  between  the  mavk  of  houesf  Izank  Walton  and  tli.- 
urins  oniis  friend  and  contemporary  Cliark'S  Cotton,  of  lk'rej,t'oid 
in  StutFords^hire,  both  distingiiii^hed  uame^  in  piscatory  annals. 


This  is  affixed  to  his  very  splendid  edition  of  Walton  and 
Cotton''s  Complete  Angler,  an  indispensable  mannal,  enibeliislu-d 
with  illustrations  by  those  eminent  artists  Stothard  and  In>kipp. 
The  mark  of  Walton  in  this  design  appears  on  the  dexter  ^hirld, 
between  the  arms  of  his  two  wives  Fludd  and  Kenn  ;  and  tiie 
arms  of  Cotton  on  the  sinister  shield,  between  those  of  his  wives 
Hutchinson  and  llussell.  Ornaments  of  this  description  con- 
tribute greatly  to  the  beauty  of  a  book,  and  the  complete  device 
nuist  be  acknowledged  to  exhibit  much  spirit  and  heraldic  ta^te 
in  the  composition. 

Heraldry,  it  may  be  remarked,  is  essentially  of  military  ori- 
jrin  ;  and  the  ensign  under  which  the  feudal  vassals  assembled 
round  their  lord  became  the  distinctive  mark  of  hereditary  sove- 
reignty and  honour :  thus  the  well-known  devices,  the  wivern  of 
Milan,  the  black  cross  of  Genoa,  and  the  lion  of  St.  Mark  at 
^'enice,  were  borne  by  the 

: Banner'J  host. 

Under  spread  ensi^s  miirching. 

At  the  very  dawn  of  heraldry  the  vassals  of  Dauphine  ndli<-<l 
nneler  a  dolphin,  a  mark  easily  descried  and  one  that  all  under- 
stood :  the  form  was  of  course  derived  from  the  da—ical  repre- 
M-ntations,  and  adopted  as  symbolical  of  the  name  •)f  tlie  pro- 
vince. A  golden  dolphin  in  an  azure  field  was  boniv  l>y  An<lre\v 
the  Dauphin,  Count  <.f  Viemit.is,  contemporary  with  King  Henry 
HI.  of  England,  and  patriarch  of  the  Dauphins  descended  from 


22 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


the  houses  of  T3iirguiKly  and  La  Tour.  It  was  also  borne 
by  the  Dauphins,  as  they  were  subsequently  styled,  Lords  of 
AuveroTie. 


Humbert,  Dauphin  of  Viennois,  oppressed  by  continual  war 
with  his  neighbour,  Amadeus  VL  Count  of  Savoy,  known  as  the 
Green  Earl,  granted  his  seignory  to  Philip  of  Valois,  King  of 
France,  in  the  year  1349  ;  stipulating  that  the  King's  son  should 
be  styled  eldest  son  of  France  and  Dauphin  of  Viennois,  and 
always  bear  the  arms  of  this  extensive  province. 

The  Emperor  Charles  IV.  in  1379  visited  Charles,  the  first 
who  assumed  the  title  of  Dauphin ;  and,  waA-ing  all  pretensions 
to  the  fief,  constituted  him  perpetual  Vicar  of  the  Empire  in  the 
Dauphinate. 

In  England  the  word  dolphin  was  used  for  the  French  name 
of  Dauphin,  as  in  the  old  play  of  "  King  John,""  who,  it  may  be 
remarked,  died  more  than  a  hundred  years  before  the  title  was 
in  existence, 

"  Lewis  the  Dolphin  and  the  heire  of  France." 

Shakspeare's  subsequent  introduction  of  the  Dauphin  in  the  time 
of  King  John  is  amply  atoned  by  his  transcendent  genius  ;  but  in 
the  recent  pictorial  ediiion  of  his  plays,  the  readers  are  presented 
with  a  portrait  of  the  Daujjhin  taken  irom  the  Archaologia ! 
a  less  pardonable  error  either  of  the  editor  or  the  antiquary. 

After  her  marriage  at  Notre  Da'me  in  1558,  ^Lary  Queen  of 
Scots  saluted  the  Dauphin  as  King  of  Scotland  ;  and  their  mar- 
riage was  declared  by  the  titles  also  of  '•  Dolphin  and  Dolphincss 
of  France."  A  rare  gold  coin  boars  the  arms  of  the  Dauphin 
impaled  with  the  royal  arms  of  Scotland.*. 

*  The  coin,  in  the  collection  of  Dr.  William  Hunter,  was  engraved  in  1798. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


23 


The  arms  of  the  Dauphin,  son  of  Louis  XIV,  the  most  (]i>- 
tini^iished  person  who  bore  the  title,  are  under  his  portrait  l»v  II, 
Rigaud,  which  is  engraved  by  Drevet,  and  are  placed  on  a  car- 
touche shield  environed  by  the  collars  of  the  orders  of  St,  Mi- 
chael and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  surmounted  by  the  Dauphin's 
coronet,  the  bows  of  which  are  formed  by  dolphins. 


The  frontispiece  prefixed  to  the  Delphin  Classics  ^hows  Ariun 
in  the  act  of  springing  out  of  the  ship,  with  a  dolphin  ready  to 
receive  him ;  and  bears  the  motto  used  by  the  Dauphin  of  France, 

TRAHITVR  .  DVLCEDINE  .  CANTVS  .  alludiug  tO  the  rcputcd  foIldia'>v'<  ol 

the  dolphin  for  nmsic.  The  suggestion  of  a  series  of  the  classics 
"In  usum  Delphini,"  made  by  the  Prince's  governor,  the  Duke 
de  Montausier,  was  carried  into  execution  by  his  preceptors 
Huet  and  Bossuet ;  and  the  device  of  Arion  was  not  unaptly 
adopted,  the  name  of  Dauphin  signifying  equally  the  I'riiu-c  and 
the*  fish. 

Arion's  preservation  was  a  favourite  subject  in  the  spectacles 
exhibited  upon  the  water  in  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth  : 
during  the  visit  to  Kenilworth,  Arion  rode  U})on  the  back  of  a 
dolphin  twenty-four  feet  in  length,  which  contained  in  its  boily 


24  THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

a  riule  kind  of  harmonicon.  In  one  of  the  plays  of  later  date,* 
a  cook,  boa^sting  of  his  skill  in  allegorical  embellishment,  says, 

"  For  fish  I  '11  make  you  a  standing  lake  of  white  broth. 
And  pikes  shall  come  ploughing  up  the  plums  before  them, 
Arion  on  a  dolphin  playing  Lachrj-mae." 

An  allusion  to  this  classical  subject  is  again  made  by  the  same 
dramatists,-f- 

"  May  't  rain  above  all  almanacks,  till 
The  carriers  sail,  and  the  King's  fishmonger 
Rides,  like  Arion,  upon  a  trout  to  London." 

Azure,  a  man  riding  on  a  dolphin  and  playing  on  a  harp,  the 
arms  of  Walterton,  or  Walterstowu,  of  Scotland,  shows  the 
same  subject  treated  heraldically. 

The  Dolphin  inn,  a  large  house  formerly  on  the  eastern  side 
of  Bishopsgate  street,  was  enriched  on  its  front  with  fleurs-de-lis 
and  dolphins  ;  and  is  said,  in  some  descriptions  of  London,  to 
have  been  a  residence  of  the  Dauphin  of  France.  More  pro- 
bably it  was  prepared  for  some  of  the  French  ambassadors  to 
England,  in  compliment  to  whom  the  Dolphin  inn  at  South- 
ampton, one  of  the  largest  in  the  kingdom,  might  also  have 
derived  its  sign. 

When  signs  were  of  general  use,  the  dolphin  was  by  no  means 
uncommon  :  the  Spectator,  projected  by  Addison,  was  published 
daily  in  1711  at  the  Dol[)hin  in  Little  Britain,  then  the  shop  of 
the  learned  bookseller  Samuel  Buckley,  editor  of  Thuanus,  and 
of  the  first  daily  newspaper,  the  "  Daily  Courant,"  in  1709,  and 
who  also  published  Sir  Richard  Steele's  "  Crisis,"  with  other 
political  works,  in  his  zeal  for  the  Hanover  succession,  for 
which  he  was  eminently  distinguished. 

The  dolphin  is  conspicuous  in  the  arms  borne  by  families  of 
the  name  of  Franklin,  as  well  as  the  fleur-de-lis  in  those  of  the 
name  of  France,  Argent,  a  clump  of  trees  proper  ;  in  the  centre 
of  the  branches  a  fleur-de-lis  or  ;  on  a  cliief  wavy  azure,  three 
fleurs-de-lis  of  the  third,  are  borne  by  the  family  of  France  of 
Bostock,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Dane  in  Cheshire;  a  grant  of 
arms  evidently  intended  to  typify  both  the  names  of  person  and 
estate.  Vert,  a  saltier  argent ;  on  a  chief  or,  three  fleurs-de-lis 
azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Franc«*  of  North  Britain. 

*  Th<<  "  r.loody  r.r.itliir,"  by  IVaumont  ;uid  Fletcher. 
t  Weber's  edition,  vul.  ii.  p.  jj. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  2.'> 

The  recorded  miracle  of  the  transmis.'«ion  of  the  lis  from  la-avcu 
to  Clovis  the  first  Christian  King  of  France,  may  be  traci-d  let 
Louis  VIL's  reception  of  a  consecrated  flower  from  Pojjo  AK-x- 
ander  III.  This  King,  who  is  sometimes  called  Ludovii-us 
Floras,  bore  on  his  signet  a  fleur-de-lis,  but  probably  assunieil  it 
in  allusion  to  his  name,  then  usually  spelt  Loys  ;  one  of  tlie 
earliest  Instances  of  the  punning  device,  and  whence  France  was 
poetically  termed  VEmiiire  ths  Lis. 

The  Franklin  is  finely  drawn  by  Chaucer  as  hospitable  and 
not  unaccomplished  :  the  name  implies  a  freeholder  of  consider- 
able property ;  and  Waterhouse,  an  heraldic  author,  siys, 
"  There  are  many  now  grown  into  families  called  Franklin,  who 
are  men  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  and  other  parts."  * 

Argent,  on  a  bend  azure  three  dolphins  of  the  field  ;  crest,  a 
dolphin  embowed  proper,  pierced  through  the  sides  witii  two 
fishing  spears  in  saltier  or,  were  the  armorial  ensigns  of  Williaiii 
Franklin,  Sherifli"  of  Hertfordshire  in  161.3,  and  of  Sir  Ricliard 
Franklin  of  ^lore  Park  in  the  same  county,  created  IJaroiict  I'V 
King  Charles  II.  in  1660. 


Dolphins  are  also  borne  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Frankbn 
of  Mavems  in  Bedfordshire,  one  of  whom  was  Slu'rifl*  of  I  be 
county  in  1600.  In  the  church  of  Boluhur<t,  among  c»tluT 
memorials  of  this  family,  is  a  monument  to  Sir  John  Frankbn, 
one  of  the  Masters  in  Chancery,  who  died  In  1707.  Tlii-y  after- 
wards resided  at  Great  Barford,  and  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
family  at  Paveuham,  both  in  the  same  county. 

Argent,  on  a  bend  between  two  lions''  heads  erased  guU's,  a 
«h)Iphin  naiant  between  as  many  birds  elose  or  :  crest,  a  doljihin  > 

*  CoinmouUirv  on  Fintiscui',  KfliiJ. 


26 


THE   HFRALDRY    OF   FISH. 


head  erect  argent,  lietv/een  two  branches  vert,  are  the  armorial 
bearings  of  another  family  of  Franklin  of  Rainham  in  Norfolk. 

The  ancestral  family  of  the  celebrated  American  philosopher, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  were,  it  is  well  kno\\T3,  industrious  smiths 
at  Ecton  in  Northamptonshire,  which  village  his  father  Josias 
left  for  America  m  the  year  1682, 

Azure,  a  dolphin  naiant  or ;  on  a  chief  of  the  second,  three 
saltiers  gules :  crest,  an  anchor  erect  sable,  entwined  by  a  dol- 
phin argent,  are  the  armorial  ensig-ns  of  the  Fraukland  familv, 
originally  of  Hertfordshire,  but  which  was  afterwards  seated  at 
Thirsk  in  Yorkshire.  William  Frankland,  Esq.  of  Thirkleby, 
was  the  father  of  Sir  Henry  Frankland,  whose  son  William  was 
created  Baronet  by  King  Charles  II.  in  1660. 


-<^ 


Sir  Thomas  Fraukland,  Postmaster-General  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Anne,  is  thus  mentioned  in  Mackay's  "' Characters  of  the 
Courtiers:"  "He.  is  chief  of  a  very  good  family  in  Yorkshire, 
with  a  very  good  estate ;  his  being  my  Lord  Fauconberg's 
nephew,  arid  marrying  a  grand-daughter  of  Oliver  Cromwell, 
first  recommended  him  to  King  William,  who  at  the  Revolution 
made  him  Cummissiuuer  of  the  Excise,  and  hi  some  years  after 
-Governor  of  the  Post-othce.  By  abundance  of  application  he 
understands  that  office  better  than  anv  man  in  Eu'j[land  ;  and, 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


27 


notwithstanding  we  had  no  intercourse  with  France  last  war,  he 
improved  that  revenue  to  ten  thousand  pounds  a  vear  more  than 
it  was  in  the  most  flourishing-  years.""  The  hneal  descendant  of 
this  family,  Sir  Robert  Frankland  Russell,  Baronet,  of  Thirklcby  ■ 
in  Yorkshire,  acquired  Chequers  in  Buckinghamshire,  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  Russells  of  Chippenham  in  Cambridgeshire,  who 
were  allied  to  the  Protectoral  house  of  Cromwell  by  frequent 
intermarriages.  At  Chequers  the  dolphin  of  the  Franklands  is 
introduced  in  the  armorial  enrichments  of  modern  additions  from 
designs  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Lamb,  architect. 

Azure,  a  bend  or,  between  two  dolphins  embowed  argent,  are 
the  arms  of  a  ftmiily  of  French  of  Essex;  but  the  noble  family 
of  Ffrench,  who  have  resided  at  Castle  French  in  the  county  of 
Gralway  in  Ireland  for  many  generations,  bear  the  dolphin  only 
as  a  crest. 

The  arms,  azure,  three  fleurs-de-lis  or,  with  a  dolphin  em- 
bowed  as  a  crest,  were  borne  by  Peter  P.  ^letge,  Esq.  of  Ath- 
lumney  in  the  county  of  JSIeath,  who  was  related  to  John  Metge, 
Esq.  formerly  M.P.  for  Dundalk,  and  Deputy  Auditor-General 
in  the  Irish  Treasury. 

Simplicity  is  one  of  the  principal  characteristics  of  heraldry, 
and  a  dolphin  is  frequently  borne  in  reference  to  the  name. 
The  English  family  claim  Venetian  origin,  and  in  a  list  of  the 
nobility  of  Venice  the  arms  of  Dolfin  are  found :  per  palo, 
azure  and  argent,  a  dolphin  uaiaut  or. 


The  Venetian  nobility,  among  the  most  authentic  in  Europe, 
were  once  so  jealous  of  their  Libro  d'Oro,  the  celebrated  book  of 
genealogy,  that  a  proposal  to  open  it  tluring  the  Candlaii  war, 
and  admit  twenty  new  members,  was  indignantly  spurued  by 
Michielli,  one  of  the  Elettorali,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  twelve 
original  families,  who  exclaimed  "  Viiukr  i  Jinli,   ma  non   iiiai 


28 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


vender  la  nohlHtd,^"  that  he  woukl  sell  liis  children,  but  never  his 
nobility. 

Some  families  of  Brescia,  Treviso,  and  other  places,  were  how- 
ever subsecjuently  inscribed  In  the  Libro  d'Oro,  whose  only  claim 
to  the  honour  was  the  zeal  with  which  they  prostrated  their 
country  at  the  feet  of  the  republic.  It  is  this  historical  truth 
which  gives  force  to  the  poet's  rebuke — 

Thy  oligarchy's  Book  of  Gold 

Shut  against  himible  virtue's  name. 
But  opened  wide  for  slaves  who  sold 

Their  native  land  to  thee  and  sh;une. 

Moore. 

In  the  same  list  of  the  nobility  of  Venice*  are  the  arms  of 
another  family  of  Dolfin,  azure,  three  dolphins  naiant  or;  the 
same  arms  were  also  borne  by  the  English  family  of  Dolphin. 


Vert,  three  doli)hins  naiant  in  pale  or,  are  the  family  arms  of 
Dolphinley  ;  and,  sable,  a  d()l{)hin  hauriant  or,  those  of  Dolfin- 
ton.  A  dolphin  naiant  proper,  is  borne  as  a  crest  by  the  family 
of  Browne  of  Dolphinton  in  Lanarkshire,  in  allusion  to  the  name 
of  their  estate. 

As  a  crest,  a  dolphin  embowed  was  borne  by  the  Earl  of 
Godolphin,  K.  G.  a  nobleman  of  distinguished  abilities.  Lord 
High  Treasurer  to  Queen  Anne,  His  immediate  progenitors 
were  distinguished  in  the  cabinet  and  the  field,  and  for  their 
loyalty  during  the  civil  war :  he  himself  sat  in  the  first  parlia- 
ment after  the  Restoration  as  M.P.  for  Helston  in  Cornwall, 
whence  he  rose  rapidly  into  political  consequence.  The  manor 
of  Godolphin,  or  (jodtjiian,  near  Helston,  was  held  by  a  faniily 

*  Ar.ma  Oextilii  lA,  sive  In>ii;iiia  vir.i  Ni.l.iliii  omnium  nia^niirttentissime  Civiuitis 
Vcnetiaruiu  vi\ entiuui.  Anno  Domini  1 M I  ;  a  ciuious  nuuiUitript  io  the  libniry  of 
Wobiiru  Alil't'y. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


29 


of  the  sarae  name  oven  l;fforo  i'ne  Conrpie.st,  and  wliicli  ori-n'nallv 
Lore  for  arms,  aro^ent,  three  dolphins  emhowed  sable.  Jo!,n 
Goflolphin  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in  1504,  and  at  Pen^orsitk 
Castle,  a  seat  of  the  ^iiliton  family,  erected  in  the  rei'^ni  (.f 
Henry  VIII,  is  a  chaniber  painted  with  proverbs,  one  of  which 
is  a  comparison  of  an  affectionate  sovereign  to  a  dolphin,  indicatinir 
the  kindness  received  A-om  the  honse  of  Godolphin,  whence  the 
Lord  of  Pengersiek  married  his  lady.* 

On  the  death  of  Francis  Lord  Godolphin,  the  last  male  heir  of 
this  noble  race,  in  1758,  che  estates  descended  to  the  Duke  of 
Leeds,  grandson  oi'  the  f  rst  Earl  of  Godolphin.  The  -ancient 
family  device,  a'doiphin  embowed  sable,  finned  or,  is  now  Ixmie 
as  a  crest  by  Francis  Godolphin  Osborne,  created  Lord  Godol- 
phin in  1832,  the  son  of  Francis  Duke  of  Leeds,  by  Baroness 
Conyers,  and  brother  to  the  present  Duke. 


^. 


-iJ. 


^^5) 


A  dolphin,  as  a  marine  emblem,  is  borne  as  a  charge  in  the 
arras  of  some  families,  typical  of  certain  jurisdiction  over  part  of 
the  sea  or  harbours  held  under  the  sovereign.  A  duli>hin  naiant 
azure,  is  the  crest  of  the  :Marquess  of  Ailsa,  a  title  derived  from 
an  island  on  the  coast  of  Ayrshire.  The  nolde  family  of  Ken- 
nedy possess»>d  -large  estates  in  Carrick  as  earlv  as  the  reluai 
of  Edward  III,  and  the  title  of  Earl  of  Cassilis  in  1501).  At 
the  tournament  held  at  Eglintoun  Castle  in  1830.  the  Earl  of 
Cassilis  bore  his  family  cognisance  on  his  helmet  and  housings, 
and  when  armed  for  the  tilt  was  distiny-uished  as  the  Kni-dit  ..f 
the  Dolphin. 

•  Ly.sons's  Cornwall,  fruiii  Lulamrs  Itiiu'iary,  vol.  iii. 


so 


THE  HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


Argent,  a  dolphin  enibowed  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Monypeuny,  who  quarter  the  arm.s  of  Oathcart,  and  bear  for  a 
crest,  Neptune  bestriding  a  dolphin  on  the  r.'aves,  with  his  trident 
in  his  hand,  and  hoiHing  tlie  reins  :  over  the  crest  the  motto, 
Imperat  aquor.  DaWd  Monypenny  had  a  grant  of  Pitmilly, 
King's  Barns,  on  the  coast  of  Fifeshire,  from  the  Prior  of 
St.  Andrews,  who  was  contemporary  with  Henry  III.  King  of 
England.  Sir  William  Monypeony  was  created  a  Baron  by 
King  James  II.  in  l4-'0  ;  but  his  son  Alexander  was  the  last  who 
held  the  title.  A  considerable  branch  of  this  family  is  now 
seated  at  Holvenden  in  the  Weald  of  Kent ;  and  Captain  Thomas 
Gybbon  Monj-penny  is  M.P.  for  Rye. 


Corporations  of  those  towns  which  have  arisen  into  importance, 
and  where  a  snccessful  fishery  is  established,  bear  a  dolphin  on 
their  common  seal.  At  Brighton,  now  the  first  of  fashionable 
watering-places,  the  mackarel  season  is  still  of  great  interest,  and 
a  fish-market  is  held  on  the  beach.  The  Steyne,  a  spacious  lawn 
and  promenade,  was  the  spot  formerly  used  by  the  fishermen  for 
drying  their  nets.  The  common  seal  of  the  town  bears  two 
dolphins  embowed  within  a  shield. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF   FISH.  31 

The  trade  of  Poole,  a  sea-port  of  Dorsets^lnre,  consists  chiefly 
in  the  Newfoundland  fishery.  The  arms  of  the  corporation  were 
probably  assumed  in  reference  to  the  Court  of  Admiralty,  held 
there  for  a  particular  jurisdiction :  barry  wavy  gnles  and  or,  a 
dolphin  embowed  argent ;  in  chief,  three  escallops  of  the  second  : 
the  crest,  a  mermaid  holding  in  her  right  hand  an  anchor  cabled, 
and  in  her  left  a  mound,  the  emblem  of  sovereignty. 

A  dolphin  also  forms  a  charge  in  the  arms  of  the  town  of  Dun- 
kirk, on  the  North  Sea,  a  place  of  considerable  trade  in  fish  ;  and 
in  the  arms  of  Otranto,  a  port  on  the  Adriatic,  in  the  dominions 
of  the  King  of  Naples. 

Arms  were  assumed  at  an  early  period  by  the  merchants  of 
the  city  of  London.  King  Charles  V.  allowed  arms  to  the 
burgesses  of  Paris  in  1.371 ;  but  the  helmet  was  for  some  time 
afterwards  reserved  as  a  distinction  of  the  gentry  of  France. 

The  members  of  the  Fishmongers'  Company  seem  to  have 
assumed  the  dolphin  in  their  arms  as  an  emblem  of  trade ;  but 
the  cod,  hake,  and  ling  were  the  stockfish  for  which  the  great 
demand  existed,  and  were  the  principal  source  of  their  wealth 
and  renown. 

Sir  William  Askham,  Lord  ^layor  of  London  in  1404,  bore 
gules,  a  fess  or,  between  three  dolphins  embowed  argent. 

Sir  John  Eainwell,  citizen  and  fishmonger,  Lord  Mayor  in 
1426,  bore  for  arms,  a  chevron  between  three  dolphins  em- 
bowed. 

Sir  William  Rennington,  citizen  and  fishmonger,  the  son  of 
•  Robert  Rennington  of  Boston  in  Lincolnshire,  and  Lord  Mayor 
in  loOO,  bore,  gyronny  of  eight,  ermine   and  azure,  a  dolphin 
embowed  gules. 

Sh-  William  Holleys,  Lord  ^Liyor  in  loo9,  bore,  sable,  on  a 
bend  argent,  between  a  talbot  courant  in  chief,  and  a  dolphin  em- 
bowed in  base  of  the  second,  three  torteauxes.  Other  branches 
of  the  Holleys  family  have  the  bend  charged  with  roses  or  an- 
nulets gules. 

Sir  Thomas  Curteis,  citizen  and  fishmouLrer,  son  of  John 
Curteis  of  Enfield  in  Middlesex,  and  Lord  Mayor  in  1557,  bore, 
barry  wavy  argent  and  sable,  a  chevron  or,  between  three  be- 
zants; on  a  chief  of  the  third,  two  dolphins  addorsed  between  as 
many  anchors  azure. 

Sir  John  Cootes,  son  of  Thomas  Cootes  of  Bierton  in  Bucking- 
hamshire, Lord  Mayor  in  1542,  bore,  per  pale  or  and  azure,  two 


32  THE   HERALDRY   OF   FISH. 

dolpliins  liauriant,  addorscd  and  countcrclianged  ;  on  a  chief  sable, 
a  covered  cup  or,  between  two  dovecotes  argent. 


Azure,  a  fess  between  three  dolphins  embowed  argent ;  crest,  a 
lemon-tree  ;  were  the  armorial  ensigns  of  Sir  John  Leman,  a 
native  of  Beccles  in  Suffolk,  where  he  founded  a  free  school. 
He  was  Lord  Mayor  in  1G16,  and  on  his  death  in  16-32  was 
buried  in  St.  MichaePs  church,  Crooked  Lane.  This  church, 
which  was  demolished  in  1831  to  form  a  better  approach  to 
London  Bridge,  had  been  rebuilt  by  John  Lovken,  a  stockfish- 
monger,  four  times  Lord  Mayor  of  London  in  the  reign  of 
Richard  IL  Sir  William  Walworth,  another  renowned  fish- 
monger, was  also  a  lilx'ral  benefactor  to  this  church. 

In  Fishmongers''  Hall,  among  the  archives  is  a  roll  represent- 
ing a  grand  pageant,  which  was  prepared  at  the  charge  of  that 
company  to  grace  the  inauguration  of  ^Vlderman  John  Leman  to 
the  dignity  of  Lord  Mayor.  In  this  procession-roll  is  represented 
1*.  The  fishing  buss.  2.  The  crowned  d(il[)hin.  3.  The  King  of 
the  Moors.  4.  A  lemon-tree,  the  Lord  Mayor's  peculiar  badge ; 
and  5.  The  bower  of  Sir  William  ^\'alworth.  A  description  of 
this  pageant,  entitled  "  Chrysanaleia,  tl»e  golden  fishing,  or 
Honours  of  Fishmongers,""  &o.  was  written  by  Anthony  Munday, 
and  has  been  printed. 


THE  HERALDRY  OF    FISH.  33 

Alderman  Leman''s  estates,  situated  in  Goodman^s  Fields,  and 
in  the  counties  of  Hereford,  Huntingdon,  and  Cambridge,  de- 
scended to  his  nephew  William  Leraan  Esq.  of  Northaw  in 
Hertfordshire,  whose  son  William  was  created  a  Baronet  by 
Kiug  Charles  II.  in  1664.  He  was  Sheriff  of  the  county  in 
1676;  and  at  his  death  in  1701  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson 
Sir  William  Leman,  the  last  Baronet,  who  died  in  1741. 

Sir  John  Leman,  who  died  at  Wakefield  in  1839,  assumed  the 
title,  but  failed  in  establishing  his  claim  to  the  estate. 

The  late  Rev.  Thomas  Leman,  of  Bath,  was  of  the  same  fomily, 
and  in  one  of  his  manuscripts  he  has  given  a  genealogical  account 
of  its  several  branches.  His  fondness  for  the  name  was  shown 
in  his  own  house,  where  one  of  the  rooms  was  painted  with  a 
view  of  Lake  Leman,  This  gentleman  was  best  known  by  his 
careful  investigation  of  the  early  roads  and  earth- works  of  Great 
Britain,  the  details  of  which,  with  his  topographical  collections, 
were  left  at  his  death  in  1826  to  the  Bath  Institution,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  founders. 

Or,  three  dolphins  hauriant  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Vandeput,  formerly  merchants  of  London,  descended  from 
Henry  Vandeput  of  Antwerp,  who  in  1568  came  to  England  in 
consequence  of  the  persecution  of  the  Duke  of  Alva. 


A  monument  in  memory  of  several  members  of  this  family  was 
erected  in  the  church  of  St.  Margaret,  Pattens,  by  Sir  Peter 
Vandeput,  in  1686.  His  son  Peter  was  created  a  Baronet  by 
King  George  I.  in  1723,  and  was  father  of  Sir  George  ^  an- 
deput,  Bart,  who  contested  the  city  of  Westminster  in  1748: 
he  died  in  1784;  and  another  distinguished  member  of  this 
family,  Admiral  Sir  George  Vandeput,  died  in  17iH). 

The  dolphin,  the  general  emblem  of  fish,  is  used  in  heraldry  as 

D 


34 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


a  play  upon  the  names  of  Fislier  and  Fish.  Azure,  a  fess  wavy  or, 
between  two  crescents  in  chief  and  a  dolphin  in  base  argent, 
were  the  arms  of  the  late  John  Fish,  Esq.  of  Kempton  Park, 
Middlesex. 

Gules,  a  dolphin  or,  and  chief  ermine,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Fisher  of  Witlingham  in  Norfolk  ;  that  of  Fisher  of 
Kent  bears  for  arms,  per  fess  gules  and  argent,  in  chief  a  dolphin 
of  the  second.  Another  family  of  Fisher  of  Warwickshire  bears, 
gules,  a  fess  vaire,  between  two  falcons  volant  in  chief,  and  a 
dolphin  embowed  in  base,  within  a  border  engrailed  argent. 

Azure,  a  dolphin  embowed  between  three  ears  of  wheat  or, 
were  the  personal  arms  of  John  Fyshar,  Bishop  of  Rochester, 
who  was  the  son  of  a  merchant  of  Beverley  in  Yorkshire. 


This  prelate's  arms  are  sometimes  found  quartered  with  an- 
other coat  relative  to  fishing;  argent,  three  eel-spears  erect  sable,  on 
a  chief  azure,  a  lion  passant  guardant  or  :*  but  the  above  example 
is  copied  from  a  fac-simile  of  the  Parliament  Roll  of  1515,  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Willement,-f-  in  which  the  arms  are  impaled  with 

•  Roll  of  Parliament,  0th  of  Henrj-  VIII.  in  the  College  of  Arms. 
.  +  The  original  is  in  Mr.  Wilk-raent's  possession  ;  and  is  valuable  as  affording  evidence 
of  armorial  bearings,  and  as  a  specimen  of  henildic  drawing  at  the  beginning  of  the  six- 
teenth centun'.  A  Procession  Roll,  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  before  the  dissolution  of 
religious  houses,  is  described  in  the  Cientleman's  Magazine  for  ITD-J  JXS  about  a  foot  wide 
and  twenty  fet  long,  containing  figures  of  all  the  Lords  of  Parliament  on  horseUick, 
coloured.  This  roll  in  1774  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  J.  Allen,  Rector  of 
TariMirley. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF   FISH.  35 

those  of  hi:3  see.  Roeliester  Cathednil  is  dedicated  to  St.  An- 
drew, and  the  bearing  has  reference  to  the  instrument  of  his 
mart\Tdom.  Bishop  Fyshar,  a  zealous  champion  of  the  churdi 
of  Rome,  was  beheaded  in  1535  :  his  death  was  not  improbably 
hastened  by  his  accepting-  the  title  of  Cardinal,  when  the  King 
enraged  said,  "  Let  the  Pope  send  him  a  hat  when  he  will ; 
Mother  of  God,  he  shall  wear  it  on  his  shoulders  ! "'''  As  con- 
fessor to  Margaret  Countess  of  Richmond,  Bishop  Fyshar  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  the  foundation  of  St.  Juhn's  and  Christ's 
Colleges  at  Cambridge. 

The  rapidity  of  fish,  which  is  remarkable,  may  have  suggested 
the  adoption  of  the  dolphins  in  the  arms  of  Fleet,  granted  in 
1691  :  azure,  on  a  bend  wavy  or,  between  two  dolphins  em- 
bowed  argent,  three  escallops  g-ules. 

The  form  of  the  generality  of  fish  is  particularly  calculated  for 
swift  and  easy  motion;  and  they  never  seem  exhausted  by  fatigue, 
or  to  require  repose.  It  has  been  remarked,  in  opposition  to  the 
curved  form  of  the  dolphin,  that  it  is  not  only  the  straightest  fish 
that  swims,  but  also  the  swiftest,  and  that  for  this  last  property 
it  is  indebted  to  the  first. 


1746058 


Sir  John  Fleet  was  Lord  Mayor  in  1G02  ;  and  on  his  feast-day 
their  Majesties  dined  at  Guildhall.  A  drawing  of  the  j)r(>ce»it>M 
on  this  occasion  is  preserved  in  the  Pepysian  library  at  MagdaKii 
College,  Camljridge ;  and  the  description  of  the  pagtant,  cntitltMl 
"The  Triumphs  of  London,"  was  printed  by  Elkanah  St-ttle, 
the  last  of  the  City  Poets. 

Azure,  three  fishes  naiant  in  pale  argent,  within  a  border 
ermine,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Southfiete. 

d2 


36  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

Party  per  pale  gules  and  sable,  six  dolphins  naiant  argent, 
are  the  arms  a.ssigned  to  Bartholomew  Iscan,  Bishop  of  Exeter, 
cue  of  the  luminaries  of  the  Engli.sh  Church ;  \yith  the  motto, 
Nil  amatum,  nisi  cognitum.  He  died  in  1184,  and  was  buried' 
in  his  own  cathedral,  where  amongst  the  archives  his  oJEcial  seal 
is  yet  preserved.  The  authority  for  this  very  early  mstance  of 
bearing  arms  is  weak,*  and  it  is  known  that  arms  are  sometimes 
attributed  to  ancestors  which  were  in  reahty  first  adopted  by 
descendants.  The  original  arms  of  the  most  ancient  families 
can  rarely  now  be  ascertained  before  the  commencement  of  the 
thirteenth  century. 

The  seal  of  the  Dean  of  Bocking,  in  the  reign  of  Ehzabeth, 
furnishes  an  example  of  the  heraldic  dolphin  ;  but  the  decanal 
seals,  important  ecclesiastical  instruments,  are  not  inscribed  with 
the  names  of  the  deans  but  the  office,  which,  with  few  excep- 
tions, was  temporary. 

The  seal  of  the  Deanery  of  Hingham  in  Norfolk  bears  the 
emblem  of  the  patron  saint  of  the  parish  church,  St.  Andrew's 
cross  raguly  ;  the  seal  of  the  Deanery  of  Sunning  in  Berkshire 
bears  the  royal  arms  in  the  time  of  Edward  VI. ;  that  of  the 
Dean  of  Bocking  in  Essex,  is  charged  with  a  shield  bearing  a 
cross  between  four  dolphins  naiant,  and  inscribed  sigillvm  .  de- 
cani .  DECANATVS  .  DE  .  IJOCKIN'G  .  IN  .  COM  .  ESSEX  .  1596.       It  is  Cn- 

graved  one  half  the  length  of  the  original. 


As  the  Cathedral  Dean  had  authority  over  ten  prebendaries, 
so  had  the  Rural  Dean  over  ten  incumbents  or  parishes,  under 
a  commission  from  the  Bishop  of  the* diocese  ;  but  the  particular 
jurisdiction  of  the  rural  deaneries  has  been  amply  illustrated  in 
the  "  Horai  Decanicai  Rurales,"  by  the  Rev.  W.  Dansey,  a 
work  abounding  iu  solid  ecclesiastical  and  anti«]uariau  learning. 

♦  Ibaakc's  History  of  ExcUr. 


THE   HERALDRY  OF    FISH.  37 

Fryer,  an  aiicieiit  family  of  Clare  in  Essex,  bore  for  armn, 
sable,  a  chevron  between  three  clolj-liin.s  oinboweJ  argent ;  possi- 
bly in  reference  to  the  fry  or  swarm  of  fishes. 


The  sounds  and  seas,  ea-^h  creek  and  bay 

With  fry  ianunierablo  swarm,  and  shoals 
Of  fish,  that  with  theil-  fins  and  shining  scales 
Glide  under  the  green  wave. 

Francis  Fryer  of  LonJou  had  a  grant  of  the  same  arms,  with 
a  canton  ermine,  in  1572.  His  descendant,  Sir  Jolui  Frver, 
who  had  been  created  a  Baronet  by  King  George  1.  in  171 1, 
was  Lord  Mayor  in  1721  .-  the  title  is  now  extinct,  bnt  the  arms 
are  borne  as  a  quartering  by  the  family  of  Iremonger  of  W'licr- 
well  in  Hampshire. 


Sable,  on  a  chevron  between  three  dolphins  argent,  tliroo 
castles  triple-towered  of  the  field,  were  the  arms  granted  in 
1602  by  Camden  as  Clarencieux,  to  John  Frear  of  London,  M.l). 

Sable,  a  chevron  or,  between  three  dolphins  embowed  argent, 
were  the  arms  of  Edmund  Leversege  of  Vallis  House,  Frome,  in 
Somersetshire,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  IV,  The  heiress  of  the 
family  married  Lionel   Seaman,  Es(j[.;   and   in   170G  the  estate 


38  THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

-passed  to  the  Seamans,  and  the  anus  v.ero  afterwards  quartered 
by  their  descendants. 

Gules,  a  chevron  between  three  dolphins  embowed  proper, 
were  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Blenevhasset,  anciently  seated  at 
a  manor  of  that  name  on  the  banks  of  the  Ellen,  near  Maryport 
in  Cumberland,  and  afterwards  at  Flimby  Hall  in  the  same 
county.  Branches  of  this  family  are  settled  in  various  parts  of 
England  and  in  Ireland  :  the  Norfolk  branch  bears  the  name  of 
Bleverhasset ;  and  in  Frense  church,  amongst  other  monuments 
of  the  family,  is  an  engraved  brass  of  Sir  Thomas  Bleverhasset, 
who  died  in  loSl,  represented  in  a  tabard  of  his-arms  quartering 
those  of  the  families  of  Lowdham,  Orton,  and  Keldon.* 

Azure,   a  chevron    between    three    dolphins  hauriant  argent, 
■were  the  arms  of  Sir  George  Wynne  of  Lees  Wood  in  Flint-  • 
shire,  created  a  Baronet  by  King  George  II.  9th  August  1731. 
His  crest  was  a  dolphin  embowed  argent. 

In  consequence  of  the  assumed  fondness  of  the  dolphin  for  the 
society  of  man,  it  appears  to  have  been  adopted  in  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  James,  the  several  branches  of  which  bear  the 
dolphin  as  a  principal  charge  on  the  shield,  and  generally  with 
the  punning  motto,  J'ayme  a  jamais,  I  love  everlastingly. 

Sable,  a  dolphin  naiant  between  three  cross  crosslets  or,  were 
the  arms  confirmed  by  Camden  to  the  family  of  James  of  Barrow- 
Court  in  Somersetshire,  who  also  bore  a  dolphin  for  a  crest. 

The  arms  of  Dr.  William  James,  Bishop  of  Durham,  here 
given  from  a  compartment  of  a  large  window  of  the  library  of 
University  College,  Oxford,  were  executed  by  ^Ir.  Willement^ 
and  exhibit  the  excellence  of  the  glass  stainer,  not  only  in  the 
brilliancy  of  the  colours,  but  in  the  facility  with  which  that  artist 
adapts  his  designs  to  the  period  intended  to  be  illustrated. 

"When  painted  glass  is  introduced,  its  effect  is  made  to  ap- 
proach nearer  to  the  ancient  specimens  by  no  attempt  to  con- 
ceal the  leads.  The  more  ambitious  but  less  effective  system 
now  generally  followed,  arises  out  of  a  mistaken  notion  of  the 
native  beauty  and  of  the  real  capahilities  of  the  art.  There  is 
science  as  well  as  art  in  the  arrangement  of  a  painted  window  ; 
and  the  science  and  the  art  are  equally  separate  from  other  pro- 
vinces of  the  artist's  dominion.f 

•  Engraved  in  Cotmaii's  Sepulchral  Brasses,  1019. 

t  This  view  of  the  subject  is  tiikcn  by  tlie  Rev.  G.  A.  Poole  on  the  Structure  and 
Decoration  of  Churches,  l.'Ul. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


39 


Dr.  James  was  the  son  of  .Jolm  James  of  Little  On  in  StnfFord- 
shire,  and  was  a  student  of  Cliristcliureh  :  he  was  elected  Master' 
of  University  Colleo-e  in  1572,  and  Bishop  of  Durham  in  1606; 
a  see  which  derived  privile^^es  from  the  grant  to  St.  Cuthbert, 
the  Apostle  of  the  North,  by  Egfrid  King  of  Northumberland! 


In  right  of  this  see  the  Bishop,  a  Count  Palatine,  held  the  Earl- 
dom of  Sadberg,  and.  in  consequence  of  this  combinatii.n  of  the 
ecclesiastical  and  military  state,  a  sword  was  presented  to  the 
Bishop  at  his  first  entrance  to  the  county  by  one  of  his  vassals, 
who  held  their  lands  by  military  tenure.  This  peculiarity  in  the 
see  of  Durham  occasioned  the  armorial  bearings  to  be  surmounted 
^'  a  plumed .  mitre :  sometimes  a  helmet  was  placed  under  the 
mitre,  as  on  the  seal  of  Bishop  Hatfield,  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
HI.,  the  same  ecclesiastic  who  is  represented  in  ^\^•st■s  picture 
of  the  battle  of  Nevile's  Cross,  where  the  Bishop  defeated  the 
Scots.  Bishops  in  earlier  times  often  appeared  in  the  field  of 
battle :  Odo,  the  martial  Bishop  of  IJayeux,.  was  with  his  bro- 
tlier,  William  the  Conqueror,  at  the  battle  of  Hastings. 


40 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


The  arms  of  the  see  of  Diirhom,  azure,  a  cross  or,  between  four 
'lions  rampant  argout,  are  those  ot'King-O.swakl,  the  original  founder 
of  the  bishopric,  and  in  whose  memory  they  have  been  retained. 
They  are  hnpaled  with  gules,  a  dolphin  embowed  argent,  between 
three  cross  crosslets  or,  the  paternal  arms  of  Bishop  James. 

Azure,  a  dolphin  eiubowcd  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  James  of  Wyke  House  near  Gillingham  in  Dorsetshire. 

Sir  Walter  James  of  Langley  in  Berkshire,  created  a  Baronet 
by  King  George  III.  in  17iil,  bore  for  arais,  gules,  a  dolphin 
naiant  or,  with  the  motto,  J'ayme  a  jamais.  His  family,  lineally 
descended  from  that  of  Head,  on  succeeding  to  this  estate,  took 
the  name  of  James. 

Quarterly,  vert  and  gules,  a  cross  argent,  charged  with  a  ship 
in  full  sail  proper,  betv/een  four  anchors  erect  azure ;  in-  the  first 
and  fourth  quarters  a  dolphin  naiant  of  the  third,  between  three 
cross  crosslets  or  ;  in  the  second  and  third  a  lion  passant  guard- 
ant  of  the  last,  between  thi-ee  trefoils  slipped  argent,  are  the 
arras  of  Sir  John  Kingston  James  of  Killiney  in  Ireland,  who 
was  created  a  Baronet  in  1823. 


Azure,  a  dolphin  embowed  argent,  finned  or,  between  three 
mullets  or,  arc  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Fitz-James  of  Dorset- 
shire and  Si)mer.setshire ;  with  a  singular  .crest,  which  is  here 
copied  from  a  book  of  armorial  drawings  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  41 

The  same  arms  were  borne  by  Dr.  Richard  Fitz-James,  the 
son  of  John  Fitz-James  of  Redlynch  in  Somersetshire,  hy  Alice 
Newhurgh  heiress  of  the  Barony  of  Poinz.  He  was  Warden  of 
Merton  College,  Oxford,  and  successively  Bishop  of  Rochester, 
Chichester,  and  London.  Ant.  Wood  says  he  died  in  a  good 
old  age  in  1522,  "after  good  deeds  had  trod  on  his  heels  even  to 
Heaven''s  gates.''''  His  arms,  impaled  with  those  of  the  see  of 
Rochester,  are  sculptured  on  the  inner  gatehouse  of  Merton 
College  ;  as  Bishop  of  London,  his  arms,  within  an  enriched 
border  of  vine  leaves,  are  in  one  of  the  windows  of  Fulham 
Palace:  and  in  the  Parliament  Roll  of  1515,*  the  arms  arc 
quartered  with  those  of  Draycot,  with  a  remark  that  "  the 
Bishop  of  London  claimeth  to  have  precedence  in  sitting  before 
all  other  bishops  of  the  province  of  Canterbury,  as  Chancellor 
episcopal."'^ 

Sable,  a  dolphin  embowed  devouring  a  fish  proper,  were  the 
arms  of  Symonds  of  Norfolk  ;  the  crest  of  the  Ormsby  branch 
is  a  dolphin  embowed,  and  over  it  the  motto,  Rectus  in  Curvo. 

A  portrait  of  Ricliard  Gwynne  of  Taliaris  in  Carmarthensjhire, 
President  of  the  Society  of  Sea  Sergeants  in  1747,  bears  their 
device  of  a  dolphin ;  it  was  painted  by  R.  Taylor,  and  en- 
graved by  Faber. 

Two  dolphins  hauriant,  and  entwined  saltierwise  or,  finned 
azure,  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Upton  of  Sussex,  was  granted 
in  1569. 

One  of  the  names  given  by  the  French  to  the  dolphin  is 
derived  from  the  great  projection  of  its  nose,  whence  it  is  termed 
Bee  (TOie.  A  dolphin  forms  part  of  the  arms  of  Beck,  a  family 
of  foreign  extraction.  Sir  Justus  Beck,  created  a  Baronet  by 
King  George  L  in  1714,  bore  for  arms,  quarterly,  1st." or,  a 
blackbird  proper ;  2ud.  and  3rd.  sable,  a  mullet  or  ;  4th.  azure, 
a  dolphin  liauriant  or. 

In  a  stained  glass  window  of  the  parlour  at  Newnham  Paddox 
in  Warwickshire,  are  portraits  of  several  ancestors  of  the  noMe 
family  of  Fielding,  descended  from  the  house  of  Hapsburg. 
One  of  this  genealogical  series,  the  portrait  of  Dame  Jellys 
Russeyl,  lady  of  Sir  Everard  Fielding,  who  was  created  a 
Knight  of  the  Bath  at  the  marriage  of  Prince  Arthur  in  1501, 
presents  an  instance  not  very  common  of  the  armorial  mantle 
worn  by  ladies  of  rank,  and  embroidered  with  her  famil}'  insignia  : 

*  Noticed  at  page  34. 


42 


THE   HEUALDRY    OF    FISH. 


or,  a  (lolplihi  nni^ut,  oinl    chief  azure.      In  the  same  compart- 
ment of  the  window  the  knight  i.s  also  shown.* 

The  follovvin^  specimen,  taken  from  a  carving  on  the  oaken 
door  of  a  cabinet,  is  in  the  possession  of  an  heraklic  collector. 
It  is  apparently  of  French  workmanship  about  the  time  of 
Henry  IV;  and  the  arms  are  v.  ell  arranged,  and  executed  with 
much  spirit. 


The  only  instance  offish  being  used  as  heraldic  supporters  is 
afforded  by  the  dolphin,  and  the  earliest  example  may  be  found 
in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  origin  of  figures 
placed  on  each  side  of  the  shield,  which  they  seem  to  support, 
is  derived  from  the  custom  at  tournaments,  or  military  sports,  of 
the  middle  ages.  The  knights  challengers  hung  their  shields  of 
arms  ou  the  barriers,  or  on  tri-cs  near  the  appointed  place  of  jnst- 

*  EngniTcd  in  DugiLile's  History  of  Warwickshire,  and  also  ii»  Nichols's  History  of 
Leicestechire. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


43 


ing,  to  be  watcherl  by  their  henchmen  or  pa^es,  disguised  in  the 
skins  of  lions,  bears,  &c.  or  attired  as  Saracens  and  wild  men  ; 
these  gave  notice  who  accepted  the  challenge  by  touching  the 
shield.  There  are  more  ancient  instances  of  figures  standing  and 
holding  a  banner  of  arms,  which  also  probably  originated  in  part 
of  the  pageantry  of  a  tournament. 

The  Watermen's  Company  of  London,  whose  business  it  is  to 
row  their  boats  on  the  river  Thames,  may  be  supposed  very 
ancient ;  but  it  was  not  incorporated  until  the  reign  of  Queen 
Mary  in  1556.  The  lightermen,  who  are  employed  amongst  the 
shipping,  were  afterwards  united  to  the  'company. 


Their  arms,  barry  wavy  argent  and  azure,  a  boat  or ;  <»n  a 
chief  of  the  second,  a  pair  of  oars  salticrways  of  the  tliird.  be- 
tween two  cushions  of  the  first,  are  supported  by  two  dolphin^ 
proper :  the  crest  is  a  hand  holding  an  oar ;  and  their  motto  is, 
Jussu  superiorum,  being  ever  at  the  command  of  tlu-ir  superiors. 

The  portrait  of  one  of  the  distinguished  members  of  this  com- 
pany, John  Taylor  the  water  poet,  is  in  the  picture  gallery  at 
Oxford:  he  had  served  at  the  taking  of  Cadiz  under  the  Earl  of 
Essex  in  1506,  aiul  was  waterman  to  King  James  I.  He  alx) 
called  himself  the  KIng^s  water  poet,  and  used  as  a  motto, 

Tlio'  I  deserve  not,  I  desire 

The  biirel  wreath,  the  poet's  hire. 


44 


THE   HEUALDRY    OF    FISH. 


One  of  his  vevy  numerous  'Rorks  is  entitled,  "  The  Dolphin's 
Danger  and  Deliverance  ;  a  Sea-figlit  in  the  Gulph  of  Persia 
famously  fought  bj  the  Dolphin  of  London  against  five  of  the 
Turks'  Men-of-war  and  a  Sattie,  Jan.  12,  1G16."  He  wore  the 
royal  badge,  and  there  is  extant  a  whole-length  portrait  of  him 
holding  an  oar.  A  silver  oar  is  the  badge  of  the  maritime  ju- 
risdiction of  the  Corporation  of  London,  and  is  vrorn  by  the 
Water  Bailiff  as  conservator  of  the  rivers  Thames  and  Medway. 

Two  dolphins  are  the  supporters  of  the  arms  of  the  ancient 
family  of  Trevclyan  of  Cornwall,  by  whom  a  dolphin  was  also 
used  as  a  badge.  ' 

The  arms  of  Admiral  Sir  William  Burnaby,  Bart,  of  Brough- 
ton  Hall  in  Oxfordshire,  show  the  dolphins  as  supporters,  in  re- 
ference, probably,  to  his  professional  services  by  sea. 

Argent,  two  bars  gules,  in  chief  a  lion  passant  guardant  per 
pale  of  the  second  and  vert :  crest,  out  of  a  naval  crown  a  demi- 
lion  rampant  guardant  or ;  in  the  dexter  paw  a  flag  gules  : 
motto.  Pro  Rejje. 


Sir  William  Burnaby,  knighted  in  l75t,  was  Admiral  and 
Commander-in-chief  at  Jamaica,  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
assisted  in  settling  the  colony  of  Pen.sacola.     He  was  Sheriff  of 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  45 

Oxfordshire  in  l76-t,  and  was  created  a  Baronet  31st  October 
1767. 

The  arms  of  the  Baron  de  Vauer,  azure,  a  stag's  head  cabossed 
or,  are  supported  by  two  dolphins,  each  being-  crested  with 
three  peacocks'  feathers.  The  dolphin,  from  the  variety  and 
vividness  of  its  tints,  is  called  "  The  Peacock  of  the  Sea." 

The  dolphin,  when  sporting  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  de- 
ceives the  eye  and  appears  curved,  as  it  is  always  pourtrayed  on 
ancient  coins  and  in  sculpture;  and  from  those  acknowledged 
faulty  representations  the  heralds  adopted  the  curved  form  on 
sliields  of  arms.  The  dolphin,  also,  'is  destitute  of  scales,  like 
all  the  cetacea ;  but  these  are  shown  in  heraldic  painting,  to  give 
better  effect  to  its  naturally  beautiful  colours. 

"  And,  as  he  darts,  the  waters  blue 
Are  streaked  w-ith  gleams  of  many  a  hue. 
Green,  orange,  purple,  gold." 


THE    WHALE. 

The  natural  history  of  the  whale  is  a  subject  of  difficult  attain- 
ment to  zoologists,  and  very  Httle  information  is  yet  extant 
respecting 

.  — that  sea-beast 

Leviathan,  which  God  of  all  his  works 
Created  hugest,  that  swim  the  ocean  stream. 

Although  the  atiuatic  animals  are  not  so  varied  in  their  species 
as  the  terrestrial,  they  surjjass  them   in   size,  and  their   \\(c  is 


46 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


longer  tliaa  those  of  the  earth  or  air.  The  elephant  and  ostrich 
are  small  in  comparison  with  the  wliale,  which  is  the  largest  fish 
the  sea  contains  ;  it  lives  as  long  as  an  oak,  and  no  land  animafs 
life  can  be  compared  to  it.*  The  whale  is  not  classed  in  natural 
history  as  a  fish,  from  which  species  it  differs  in  its  entire  or- 
ganization ;  but  the  terms  fish  and  fishery  are  yet  constantly  used 
to  designate  the  whales  taken. 

A  late  Garrer  King  of  Arras  granted  to  John  Enderby,  Esq. 
an  enterprising  merchant  of  London,  who  extended  the  whale 
fishery  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  a  crest,  described  ■  as  a  whaling 
harpooner  in  the  act  of  striking  ^  fish,  all  in  proper  colours. 

A  mast  of  a  ship,  with  its  rigging,  in  a  whale's  mouth,  is  borne 
as  a  crest  by  the  family  of  Swallow. 

The  term  Fierte  is  used  in  French  blazonry  for  the  whale 
when  its  teeth,  fins,  and  tail  are  depicted  red.  Azure,  a  whale 
argent  fierte  gides,  are  the  arms  of  AVahlen,  a  German  family. 

Gules,  three  whales  hauriant  or,  in  each  mouth  a  crosier  of 
the  last,  were  the  arms  of  Whalley  Abbey,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Calder  in  Lancashire. 


This  monastery  was  founded  in  the  year  1309  by  Henry 
Lacy,  Earl  of  Lincoln,  for  Cistercian  monks,  and,  with  the  dis- 
trict of  Blackburnshire,  has  received  ample  illustration  from  the 
pen  of  one  of  the  vicars  of  Whalley,  T.  D.  Whitaker,  LL.D. 

Argent,  three  whales''  heads  erased  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Whaley  of  Wluiley  Abbey,  in  the  county  of  Wicklow  ; 
a  seat  erected  on  the  site  of  IJallykine  Abbey,  in  the  Barony  of 
Arklow,  sjiid  to  have  been  originally  founded  by  St.  Palladius, 
the  first  bishop  sent  from  Home  to  Ireland. 

Argent,    on  a  chevron    between    three   whales""   heads  erased 
sable,  as  many  birds  with  wings  expanded  of  the  first,   are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Whaley  of  Dalton  in  Yorkshire. 
*  Sturm'b  Reflcvtidiis, 


THE   HERALDRY    OF   FISH.  47 

Almost  all  the  early  instances  of  bearing  the  whale  in  English 
heraldry  are  what  are  called  canting  arms,  like  that  of  Tranche- 
raer,  party  per  fess  gules,  and  wavy  argent  and  azure,  repre- 
senting the  sea,  with  a  knife  or,  plunged  therein,* 

Modern  authors  on  heraldry  are  accustomed  to  treat  too 
slightingly  this  species  of  armorial  bearing.  Menestrier  of  Lyons, 
who  wrote  the  first  rational  and  intelligible  treatise  on  blazonry, 
states  truly  that  "  Armes  parlantes"  are  as  ancient  as  any  other 
heraldic  device.  His  "  Methode  de  Blazon  "  was  after  his  death 
published,  with  additions  to  the  original  work,  in  1770. 

Argent,  three  whales^  heads  erased  sable,  with  a  whale''s  head 
erased  sable,  for  crest,  are  the  armorial  bearings  of  the  family 
of  Whalley  of  Lancashire  and  Nottinghamshire ;  some  branches 
of  which  bear  the  motto  "  ^Mirabile  in  Profundis,"  relative  to  the 
arms. 


Sir  James  Whalley  Smythe  Gardiner,  Bart,  of  Roche  Court 
in  Hampshire,  is  a  descendant  of  the  Lancashire  family  of 
Whalley,  which  is  ancient.  Bernard  Whalley  rebuilt  the  church 
of  Billesley,  near  Stratford  on  Avon  in  Warwickshire.  Others 
of  the  name  are  recorded  in  the  heraldic  visitations  of  Notting- 
hamshire, and  in  Thoroton^s  History  of  that  county,  among 
which  is  the  family  of  Colonel  Edward  Whalley,  Lord  Whalley, 
one  of  Oliver  CromwelFs  peers. 

The  Rev.  Peter  Wjiulley  was  of  an  ancient  Northamptonshire 
family ;  and,  as  historian  of  that  county,  prepared  for  the  press 
the  manuscripts  of  John  Bridges,  E^(i.  of  Barton  Segrave,  com- 
mcncetl  about  171.'). 

*  A  ven,'  curious  collcctioa  of  Amies  parlaiitos  is  s^ivori  iii  Piilliot's  Sciences  des 
Armoircs,  page  G4. 


4$ 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Argent,  a  clievroa  between  tlireo  wliales'  heads  erased  sable, 
and  cresjt  a  whale'o  head  erect  ai>d  erased  sable,  are  borne  by- 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Whalley  fiuuily  :  another,  ermine,  on 
a  bend  sable  three  whoios"'  ht^ads  erased  or. 

Per  chevron  crenelle  gnles  and  azure,  three  whales'*  heads 
couped  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Wallys  or  Waleys. 

Per  pale  azure  and  purpure,  three  whrdes"'  heads  erased  or, 
each  ingulphant  of  a  spear-head  argent,  were  the  arms  borne  by 
Sir  Hugh  Vaughan  of  Littleton  in  ]^.Iiddlesex,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VUl ;  an<l  wore  (quartered  witli  azure,  a  ftss  or,  between 
three  horses'  liea-ls  argent,  bridled  gules,  within  a  border  gobony 
ardent  and  vert. 


On  his  standard,  which  was  borne  in  the  field,  and  was  striped 
gold  and  green,  was  a  griflin  passant  double  queued  gules,  fretty 
or,  charged  on  the  neciv,  breast,  and  wings  with  plates,  holding 
in  the  dexter  fore-daw  a  sword  argent  ;  three  whales'"  heads 
erased  and  erect  or,  each  ingulphant  of  a  spear-head  argent ;  and 
towards  the  extremity  of  the  standard  two  similar  whales'" 
heads.* 

**  Some  fish  with  harpoons,  some  with  darts  are  struck. 
Some  drawn  with  nets,  some  hang  upon  the  hook." 


<^|«: 


E.\tcrpta  IIi!>torica,pagc  170*. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  49 


II. 

C8e  IMtf  or  Euce,  aittr  d^lging  f  06* 

The  Pike  of  the  fisherman,  the  tyrant  of  the  river,  is  the  Luce 
of  heraldry  ;  a  name  derived  from  the  old  French  language  Lus, 
or  from  the  Latin  Lucius  :  as  a  charge,  it  was  very  early  used 
by  heralds  as  a  pun  upon  the  name  of  Lucy.  Pope  Lucius  was 
in  this  manner  characterized  by  a  comparison  to  ^the  fish,  by 
Puttenham,*  a  poet  who  lived  when  quaintness  was  admired : 

Lucius  est  piscis,  rex  et  tj-rannus  aquarum, 
A  quo  discordat  Lucius  iste  panun. 

The  play  upon  words  was  not  confined  to  heraldry,  but  was 
used  by  the  most  eminent  authors,  and  is  to  be  found  in  the 
sermons  of  Bishop  Andrews,  and  in  the  tragedies  of  Shakspeare. 
The  immediate  source  of  the  heraldic  conceit  is  ascribed  to 
France,  whence  the  armorial  device,  allusive  to  a  name,  is  called 
a  Rebus  of  Picardy. 

There  is  no  earlier  example  of  fish  borne  in  English  heraldry, 
than  is  afforded  by  the  pike,  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Lucy, 
which  was  of  Norman  extraction,  and  formerly  spelt  Lucie. 

Richard  de  Lucie,  who  had  defended  the  castle  of  Falaise 
against  Gefifrey  of  Anjou,  was  Lord  of  Diss  in  Norfolk  ;  he  was 
also  SheriflPof  Essex  in  the  reign  of  Henry  IL  and  built  the 
castle  of  Ongar,  some  remains  of  which  are  to  be  seen  on  an 
artificial  hill,  one  of  the  leading  peculiarities  of  a  Norman  for- 
tress. 

Sir  Richard  Lucy,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England,  founded 
Lesnes  priory,  near  Erlth  in  Kent;  and,  dying  in  1179,  was  buried 
within  its  walls.  Weever,  an  antiquary,  who  had  seen  his  tomb 
in  1630,  states  that  upon  the  belt  of  the  figure  of  the  knight,  the 
fleur-de-lis,  the  rebus,  or  name-device  of  the  Lucvs,  was  sculp- 
tured in  many  places.-f- 

The  heraldic  fleur-de-lis  was  here  figuratively  used  for  a  pike 
or  spear,  to  the  head  of  which  it  bears  some  resemblance  ;  aud 
this  is  more  particularly  shown   in   the   arms   of  the   family  of 

•  Arte  of  English  Poesie,  1509. 
f  Funeral  Monuments. 


50  THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

Cantelupe:  gules,  a  fess  vaire  between  three  leopards*'  heads 
jessant  fleurs-de-lis.  The  uame  seems  to  imply  the  didding  or 
cutting  in  pieces  of  the  wolf,  or  other  animal ;  and  in  the  arms 
the  pike,  or  fleur-de-lis,  is  shown  thrust  through  the  principal 
cantle,  the  head  of  the  animal,  in  the  manner  it  would  be  carried 
in  triumph  after  a  successful  chase.  Nicholas  Upton,  who  wrote 
in  Latin  upon  heraldry,  terms  the  fleur-de-lis,  flos  gladioli. 
The  Boke  of  St.  Alban's  in  these  very  arms  blazons  "three 
floures  in  manner  of  swerdis,"  considering  the  fleur-de-lis  in  this 
instance  as  no  other  than  the  ornamental  head  of  a  spear  or  pike. 
It  is  this  spirit  of  allegory  which  pervades  heraldry,  and  which 
formed  the  very  essence  of  Oriental  poetry,  the  source  of  the 
romantic  fictions  embodied  in  sculpture  and  painting. 

Godfrey,  the  son  of  Sir  Richard  Lucy  the  Chief  Justice,  was 
Bishop  of  Winchester,  and  rebuilt  the  east  end  of  that  cathe- 
dral, where,  on  his  death  in  1204,  he  was  buried  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Lady  Chapel. 

Gules,  three  luces. or,  were  the  ancient  arms  of  the  baronial 
family  of  Lucy. 


These  are  found  recorded  in  one  of  the  most  valuable  of 
heraldic  authorities,  a  roll  of  arms  of  the  reign  of  Henry  II L 
"  Geffrey  de  Lucie,  de  goules,  a  trois  lucies  d'or."  This  roll, 
compiled  between  the  years  1240  and  1245,  was  printed  in  1829 
by  Sir  Harris  Nicolas  from  a  copy  which  had  been  presented  to 
the  Heralds""  College  by  Sir  William  Dngdale.  Sir  Geffrey  Lucy 
died  in  1283  :  his  son  and  heir,  also  named  Geffrey,  was  sum- 
moned to  parliament  in  the  reign  of  Edward  I,  and  his  descend- 
ants in  hereditary  succession  have  continued  to  enjoy  the  ho- 
nours of  the  peerage. 

A  very  ancient  (shield  of  the  anus  of  Lucy,  in  which  the  fish  are 


THE   HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


51 


white  upon  a  red  ground,  yet  remains  within  a  quatrefuil  in  one 
of  the  windows  of  Selby  Abbey  church,  which  was  formerly 
enriched  with  stained  glass  of  tasteful  execution. 

Sir  Reginald  Lucy,  by  his  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  Fitz- 
Duncan,  acquired  the  Honour  of  Egremont  in  Cumberland  ;  his 
two  daughters  married  brothers  of  the  Multon  family.  In 
1300  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  having  taken  the  name  of  his  maternal 
grandfather,  held  the  Barony  of  Egremont;  and  Thomas  Lord 
Lucy,  his  grandson,  held  possession  of  Egremont  Castle,  the 
forest  of  Copeland,  and  the  Honour  of  Cockermouth. " 

Henry,  first  Earl  of  Northumberland,  of  the  Percy  family, 
married  the  heiress  of  Anthony  Lord  Lucy,  who  died  in  13G!) ; 
and,  her  large  inheritance  devolving  upon  the  house  of  Percy,  the 
arms  of  Lucy  continue  to  be  borne  quarterly  by  his  descendants 
with  those  of  Percy, 


In  a  curioug  roll  of  arms  in  the  heraldic  library  of  the  late 
Rev.  Canon  Newling,  compiled  during  the  lifetime  of  the  Earl  ot 
Northumberland,  towards  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Richard  II,* 
are  the  arms  of  "  Le  Conte  de  Northumberland  S'  de  Lucy, 
quarterly,  first  and  fourth  or,  a  lion  rampant  azure,  Percy  ;  second 
and  third  gules,  three  luces  hauriant,  t\vo  and  one,  argent,  Lucy. 
The  present  Duke  of  Northuiuberland,  a  Knight  of  tlie  CJarter, 
13  Earl  Percy  and  Lord  Warkworth  by  creation,  and  I'V  descent 
is  Lord  Percy,  Lucy,  Poynings,  Fitz-Payne,  Bryan,  and  La- 
timer. 

•  Printed  iu  1834  by  Mr.  WUlemenL 


62  THE   HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 

The  original  amis  of  the  Percy  family,  azure,  five  fusils  in  fess 
or,  are  still  retained  ;  but  the  lion  rampant,  now  placed  in  the 
first  quarter,  is  the  armorial  bearing  of  the  ancient  Dukes  of 
Brabant.  When  Lady  Agnes,  the  heiress  of  Percy,  married 
Josceline  of  Louvaine,  the  brother  of  Alice  queen  pf  Henry  I, 
he  assumed  the  name  of  Percy,  but  retained  the  old  arms  of 
Brabant,  which  have  been  continued  by  his  descendants. 

His  Grace's  full  achievement,  in  stained  glass,  is  in  the  window 
of  University  College  library,  at  Oxford. 

Algernon  Seymour,  Duke  of  Somerset,  having  inlierited  part 
of  the  Percy  estate  from  his  mother,  the  heiress  of  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland,  was  created  in  1749  Earl  of  Egremont  and 
Lord  Cockermouth,  with  remainder  to  Sir  Charles  Wyndham, 
Bart,  who,  upon  the  Duke's  death  in  1750,  became  Earl  of  Y.gre- 
mont.  Sic.  George,  the  second  Earl  of  that  title,  died  in  1837,  pos- 
sessed of  the  castles  of  Egremont  and  Cockermouth,  the  ancient 
estate  of  the  Lucys  :  with  the  remains  of  these  castles  the  anti- 
quary is  well  acquainted. 

Families  descended  from  the  house  of  Lucy  did  not  fail  to 
retain  the  arms  of  that  ancient  family  amongst  the  quarterings, 
thus  forming  an  heraldic  as  well  as  a  genealogical  record  of  their 
alliance.  This  practice  of  marshalling,  or  disposal  of  several 
arms  in  one  shield,  has  been  used  ever  since  the  reign  of  Edward 
III,  a  monarch  who  deemed  it  right  to  quarter  the  arms  of 
.  France  with  those  of  England,  in  consequence  of  his  hereditary 
claims  to  the  sovereignty  of  that  country.  An  instance  is  shown 
in  the  arms  of  Thomas  Earl  of  Sussex,  K.G.  Lord  Chamberlain 
to  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  stained  glass  at  Xew  Hall,  in  Essex,  one 
of  the  few  Tudor  mansions  which  has  escaped  destruction.  This 
nobleman  of  the  Eatclitib  family,  to  use  the  words  of  a  contem- 
porary, was  "  of  very  ancient  and  noble  lyneage,  honoured 
through  many  descents  with  the  tytle  of  Fitz-A\'alters,"  and 
through  the  Fit z- Walters  was  descended  from  the  family  of 
Lucy.  The  eight  quarterings  borne  by  the  Earl  include  the 
arms  of  the  heiress  whom  his  ancestor  married,  and  those  arms 
conveyed  to  her  posterity  by  her  heii'ship,  arranged  according  to 
priority  of  descent.  In  this  kind  of  heraldic  display,  very  com- 
mon in  the  large  halls  of  the  nobility,  the  lead-work  mingling 
with  the  brilliant  coluurs  of  the  arms  produces  a  fine  eftect,  such 
as  few  painters,  perhaps  with  the  exception  of  David  Roberts, 
R.A.  have  been  able  to  imitate. 


TilE    HESALDIIY   01    FISH. 


53 


Arms,  1,  argent,  a  bend  engrailed  salile  ;  Ratcliffe.  2,  or,  a  fe^^s 
between  two  chevrons  gules;  Fitz- Walter.  These  are  a  variation 
of  the  arms  of  the  house  of  Clare,  from  whom  the  Fitz- Walters 
descended.  3,  argent,  a  lion  rampant  sable,  crowned  or,  witliiu 
a  border  azure  ;  Burnell,  of  Acton  Burneil  in  Shropshire,  4,  or, 
a  saltier  engrailed  sable ;  Botetourt,  of  St.  Briavels  in  Glouces- 
tershire, 5,  gules,  three  laces  hauriant  argent  ;  Lucy.  6,  ar- 
gent, three  bars  gides;  Multon  of  Egremont.  7,  or,  semee  of 
fleurs-de-lis  sable ;  Mortimer,  of  Attleborough  in  Norfolk.  8, 
argent,  an  eagle  sable,  preying  on  an  infant  swaddled  gules ;  Cul- 
cheth,  an  ancient  Lancashire  family. 


The  RatclifFes  were  descended  from  William  de  EadclyftV,  In 
the  reign  of  Richard  I,  deriving  his  name  from  a  cliff  of  red  ;.tuue 
on  his  estate;  who,  after  his  marriage  with  Cecilia  de  Kirkiand, 
assumed  her  arms,  argent,  a  bend  engrailed  sable.*  Kadiliti 
tower,  referred  to  in  the  old  ballad  "  The  Lady  Is;ibella's  Tra- 
gedy," was  founded  by  James  de  Radchtf  in  the  reiiru  of  Ilcury 
VL 

The  arms  of  the  Earl  of  Sussex  with  the  same  ((uarterings  are 
sculptured  on  the-monument  of  his  countess  in  St.  Paufs  Cliapfl, 
Westminster  Abbey  ;  and  as  founder  of  Sydney  Susst-x  C<)iK"«'e, 
in  Cambridge  L^niversitv,  her  arms  were  adopted  by  the  Master 
and  Fellows  on  their  official  seal. 

The  arms  of  Lucy  are  also  amongst  the  quartorings  borne  by 


Whitaker's  History  of  Whalley,  p.  401. 


54 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


the  family  of  Lowtiier,  one  of  Great  anticmity  in  Westmoreland, 
the  head  of  which  is  the  Earl  of  Lon^-dale,  K.G. 

When  arms  were  assumed  by  monastic  institutions,  they  were 
generally  those  of  the  fii'st  founders  or  principal  benefactors. 
The  arms  assiu-ned  to  Calder  Abbey  in  Cumberland  are  those  of 
three  great  families  who  had  contributed  towards  its  aggrandise- 
ment. Argoit,  three  escutcheons  :  1,  or,  a  fess  between  two  chev- 
rons gules,  for  Fitz-V/ alter.  2,  gules,  three  luces  hauriant 
argent,  for  Lucy.     S,  sable,  a  fret  argent,  for  Fleming. 


The  only  remains  of  the  former  grandeur  of  this  abbey,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Calder.  are  the  tower  of  the  conventual  church 
and  the  tomb  of  Sir  John  le  Fleming  :  the  tower  stands  in  a 
deep  secluded  valley,  the  sides  of  which  are  adorned  with  hanging 
woods. 

One  of  the  most  considerable  branches  of  the  Baronial  house  is 
that  of  the  Lucys  of  Charlecote,  in  Warwickshire,  where  it  has 
been  seated  ever  since  the  reign  of  Richard  I. 

From  Sir  Walter  de  Charlecote  descended  William,  who 
assumed  the  name  of  Lucy  from  his  maternal  ancestor,  and  bore 
on  his  seal  in  the  reiirn  of  Heninr  IIL  three  luces  hauriant.  His 
descendant.  Sir  William  Lucy,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  IL  bore 
arms  the  same  as  now  used  by  the  family.     In  the  roll  of  arms 

of  that  period^  appears  "Sire de  Lucy,  de  goules,  crusule 

de  or,  a  iij  luys  de  or." 

Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  knighted  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  rebuilt  the 
manor  house  at  Charlecote  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Avon,  which 
winds  gracefully  through  the  extensive  park.     This  mansion,  a 


•  Priuted  by  Sir  Harris  NicoLis  in  182^. 


THE   HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 


55 


noble  specimen  of  domestic  architecture,  derives  interest  from 
being  the  work  of  the  reputed  prosecutor  of  Shakspeare,  for 
which  he  not  only  took  the  Hberty  of  lampooning  the  Lord  of  the 
Manor  in  a  ballad,  but  in  some  scenes  of  his  dramas  has  intro- 
duced much  punning  about  the  luces  in  the  arms. 

A  prevailing  feature  of  ancient  architecture  was  the  orna- 
mented vanes  on  standards  surmounting  the  pinnacles  of  the 
gables ;  on  those  at  Charlecote  the  arms  of  Lucy  are  fancifully 
disposed,  the  three  luces  being  interlaced,  between  cross  crosslcts, 
and  the  outer  edges  pierced  in  the  form  of  fleurs-de-lis. 


The  gilded  vanes  representing  small  banners  bearing  the  family 
badge,  when  placed  upon  the  chateau,  were,  according  to  French 
heralds,  one  of  the  distinguishing  marks  of  nobility,  and  were 
termed  banners,  or  panonceaux.  In  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Vieuxchastel  of  Brittany  they  are  introduced  and  blazoned, 
azure,  a  chateau  argent,  girouette  d'or. 

Sir  Thomas  Lucy  of  Charlecote,  in  the  roign  of  Elizabetli, 
married  Constance  the  heiress  of  Sir  Richard  King^mill  of  High 
Clere  in  Hampshire  ;  and  from  their  sicoud  sou,  Sir  llichard 
Lucy,  created  a  Baronet  by  King  James  in  1017,  descended  the 
Lucys  of  Broxbourue  in  Hertfordsliire. 


56 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


In  the  old  stained  glass  windows  of  the  hall  at  Charlecote  is  a 
series  of  arms  in  enriched  compartments, 

All  garlanded  witt  carven  imageries 

Of  fruits  and  flowers  and  bunches  of  knot-grass, 

showing  the  various  alliances  of  the  Lucy  family,  with  inscrip- 
tions beneath  them.* 


In  the  old  church  of  Charlecote  is  an  interesting  series  of 
monuments  to  the  memory  of  different  members  of  the  family ; 
and  in  the  adjoining  parish  of  Hampton  Lucy,  in  which  the 
church  has  been  rebuilt,  is  an  altar  window,  presented  by  the 
rector,  the  Eev.  John  Lucy,  containing  the  principal  events  in 
the  history  of  the  apostle  Peter,  the  patron  saint  of  fishermen, 

*  A  description  of  the  windows  of  the  h:ill,  library,  and  drawing-room,  is  printed  in 
the  Collectanea  Topoj^raphica,  1837,  p.  340',  from  which  it  appears  that  some  compart- 
ments have  been  made  to  agree  in  style  with  the  older  glass,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Willement. 


THE   HEUALDBY  OF    FISH. 


57 


as  well  as  of  tlie  parish :  below  these  subjects  are  the  arms  of  tlie 
.Lord  of  the  Manor,  and  others  of  the  Lucy  family  counected 
with  the  church,  tastefully  arranged  from  the  designs  of  Mr. 
Willement. 

Amongst  the  principal  omanieDts  of  the  ancient  churches  were 
the  stained  glass  windows  contributed  by  wealthy  and  pious 
benefactors ;  the  beautiful  colours  of  the  glass  tempered  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  and  considerably  improved  the  architectural  effect  of 
the  structure.  When  the  windows  of  churches  were  enlarged 
in  their  dimensions,  they  were  able  to  contain  richly-tinted  gla<is, 
exhibiting  the  whole-length  figures  as  well  as  the  achievements  of 
patrons  and  benefactors  enshrined  imder  elaborately  ornamented 
canopies  ;   these  combinations  of  ancient  art 

"  In  mellotv  gloom  the  speaking  frame  arrayed  ;" 

and  historically  traced  the  access  of  wealth  and  power  to  the 
church.  More  frequently  the  enrichment  consisted  simply  of  the 
armorial  bearings  with  the  monogram,  or  rebus  on  the  name  of 
the  founder,  as  in  a  border  of  stained  glass  yet  remaining  in  one 
of  the  wmdows  of  Kingsdown  church,  near  Wrotham  in  Kent, 
to  which  the  family  of  Lucy  were  benefactors,  here  given  as  a 
curious  specimen  of  heraldic  drawing ;  the  ground  is  red  and  the 
luce  or  pike  white. 


Arms  of  patronage,  of  feudal  origin,  were  borne  in  order  to 
show  the  dependence  of  vassals  on  their  particular  Lords,  as  in 
Cheshire,  where  the  ancient  Earls  bore  garbs  on  their  shield, 
the  vavasours  of  that  county  also  bore  garbs.  The  ancient 
Earls  of  Warwick  bore  a  field  chequy,  and  many  gentleuu-n  of 
Warwickshire  retained  the  same.  From  the  similarity  of  the 
arms  of  Brougham  to  that  of  Lucy,  it   is  not  improbable  that 


58  THE     HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

they  Tvere.assiuned  in  consequence  of  a  connexion  with  that  great 
baronial  family.  Brougham,  in  Westmoreland,  is  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Lowther,  a  celebrated  trout  stream,  also  famous 
for  their  mortal  enemy  the  pike.  This  manor  was  held  by  Lords 
of  the  same  name  from  the  earliest  periods,  and  the  Brougham 
family  have  been  latterly  in  entire  possession  of  the  estate.  There 
was  a  marriage  in  this  family  with  that  of  Riclimond,  heirs  of  the 
family  of  Vaux,  of  Catterlin  in  Cumberland,  one  of  the  branches 
of  the  baronial  house  of  Vaux  of  Gillesland ;  and  the  very  first 
peerage  conferred  by  King  William  IV.  in  1830  was  on  their  de- 
scendant, Henry  Lord  Brougham  and  Vaux,  a  nobleman  equally 
distinguished  by  his  literary  and  legal  talents,  and  by  his  exer- 
tions as  a  statesman  and  orator :  his  achievement  as  Lord 
Chancellor  is  painted  in  Lincoln"'s  Inn  Hall. 


The  arms  of  William  Brougham,  Esq.  M.P.  are  here  given 
from  one  of  the  windows  of  the  new  Lady  Chapel  at  St.  Saviour"'s, 
Southwark,  in  stained  glass  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Nixon,  the  successful 
artist  in  the  competition  for  the  painted  windows  of  the  southern 
transept  of  Westminster  Abbey  church. 

The  restoration  of  the  Lady  Chapel,  so  highly  creditable  to 
all  parties  concerned,  was  commenced  in  1832  as  a  Consistory 
Court  for  the  Diocese  of  Winchester,  and  is  erected  in  the  early 
pointed  style  of  architecture  corresponding  with  the  choir  of  the 
church,  built  in  the  thiitccuth  century.     All  the  details  of  the 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


59 


former  building  have  been  copied  with  accuracy,  exhibitino"  a 
specimen  of  flint  work  almost  unique  in  a  modem  structure.  In 
the  long  elegant  triple  lancet  windows,  the  glazing  is  enclosed  in 
frame  work,  designed  by  the  architect  G.  G's^-ilt,  F.S.A.  in  ac- 
cordance with  existing  examples  of  the  same  early  period :  here 
the  aid  of  heraldry  has  been  resorted  to  as  an  additional  enrich- 
ment, and  the  arms  of  the  principal  supporters  of  the  work  have 
been  executed  in  stained  glass. 

The  same  punning  propensity  which  induced  the  application 
of  the  pike  to  the  name  of  Lucy  in  England  prevailed  in  France, 
The  family  of  Luc  en  Vivarets  bore  for  arms,  or,  a  bend  azure, 
charged  with  two  luces  argent ;  and  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Fontenay  de  Luc,  in  Vendome,  according  to  the  same  authority, 
are  blazoned,  azure,  a  luce  or  pike  naiant  argent,  in  chief  an 
etoile  or,* 


The  etoile  is  a  well-known  sjTubol  of  the  Epiphany  ;  and  a 
fish  was  employed  as  a  religious  emblem  by  the  first  Christians. 
A  single  fish  has  been  supposed  to  represent  the  empIo\Tuent  of 
St,  Peter ;  but  the  fish,  evidently  intended  for  luces,  in  the 
ornamental  pavement  of  the  Chapterhouse  at  Westminster  may 
possibly  allude  to  the  early  tradition  that  St,  Peter's  church  was 
first  built  by  King  Lucius, 

The  ged  and  the  pike  are  synonjinous  In  North  Britain, 
whence  the  Scottish  family  of  Ged  beai*  for  arms,  azure,  three 
geds,  or  pikes,  hauriant  argent.  To  this  play  upon  the  name 
Sir  Walter  Scott  alludes  with  much  pleasantry  in  '•  Red  Gauut- 
let."     "  The  heralds,"  he  says,   ••'  who  make  graven  images  of 


*  PiiUiot,  Stienccs  dcs  .Vruioircs,  p.  548. 


60 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


fish,  fowls-,  and  beasts,  assigned  the  ged  for  their  device  and 
escutcheon,  and  hewed  it  over  their  chimneys,  and  placed  above 
their  tombs  the  fish  called  a  jack,  pike,  or  luce,  and  in  our 
tongue  a  ged."" 

Of  this  family  was  William  Ged,  an  ingenious  printer  of 
Edinburgh,  who  employed  the  stereotype  as  early  as  the  year 
1725:  his  Memoirs,  published  by  Nichols  in  1781,  including  an 
account  of  his  progress  in  the  art,  were  reprinted  at  Newcastle 
in  1819. 

Geddes,  a  very  ancient  family  of  Tweeddale  in  North  Britain, 
bears  for  arms,  gules,  an  escutcheon  between  three  luces'  heads 
couped  argent. 


James  Geddes,  of  Rachan,  a  gentleman  deeply  versed  in 
classical  literature,  and  author  of  an  Essay  on  the  Composition 
of  the  Ancients,  died  in  17-19. 

Horsey  Mere,  on  the  coast  of  Norfolk,  is  mentioned  by  Camden 
as  the  source  of  a  common  expression  denoting  the  best  fish  of 
this  species, 

Horsey  pike,  none  like. 

This  lake  is  still  remarkable  for  the  quality  as  well  as  the  quan- 
tity of  its  pike,  which  continue  to  haunt  the  long  ranges  of 
sedges  and  bulrushes  on  the  banks  ;  but  the  pike  in  the  rivers 
of  Staffordshire  are  considered  to  be  more  beautifully  marked 
than  those  taken  elsewhere. 

Ramsey  Mere,  in  Huntingdonshire,  produces  a  variety  of  fish, 
of  which  pike,  perch,  eels,  and  bream  are  most  abundant.  This 
fishery  was  one  of  the  earliest  benefactions  to  the  abbey  of  Ram- 
sey, and  not  improbably  the  cause  of  its  foundation    by  Ail  win, 


THE   HEJlALDRy  OF    FISH.  61 

at  the  interoessiou  of  SL  Oswald,  Archbishop  of  York,  and 
Bishop  of  Worcester.  A  charter  of  the  time  of  Kiug  Edward 
III.  recites  that  Ailwin,  a  kinsmau  of  King  Edgar,  founded  here 
a  rehgious  house  ai  the  instigation  of  his  fisherman  Vulsgeat, 
who,  after  an  unsuccessful  toil  in  Earaes  jNIere,  was  warned  by 
St.  Benedict  in  a  vision  to  catch  a  quantity  of  fish,  called  by  the 
inhabitants  of  that  part  /lacaed,  and  then  to  found  a  monastery 
where  his  bull  had  torn  up  the  gi'ound,  in  token  of  which  com- 
mission the  fisherman's  finger  was  bent.  The  church  was  finished 
in  five  years  afterwards,  and  consecrated  A.D.  974 :  among  the 
grants  of  Ailwin,  which  were  many,  were  the  island  on  which 
the  abbey  stood,  and  all  his  fishery  at  Well. 

Azure,  two  geds  or  luces  in  saltier  argent,  and  for  crest  two 
luces  as  in  the  arms,  are  borne  as  an  heraldic  ensign  by  the  family 
of  Gedney  of  Hudderley,  in  Lincolnshire,  with  reference  to  the 
northern  name  of  ged  which  is  given  to  the  pike.  Gedney  of 
Enderby,  in  the  same  county,  bears  argent,  two  luces  in  saltier 
azure.  The  arms  of  Gedney  are  among  the  quart erings  of  the 
family  of  Ashby  in  the  window  of  the  hall,  and  carved  on 
the  chimney-pieces  of  their  ancient  seat  at  Quenby  in  Leicester- 
shu'e. 


Gules,  three  luces  naiant,  within  a  border  engrailed  argent, 
are  the  arms  of  Pike  of  London.  A  fiimily  of  the  same  name 
was  seated  at  Pike's  Ash,  near  Martock  in  Somcrset««hire,  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  VIIL  Pyke  of  Devonshire  bears  for  arms, 
per  pale  argent  and  gules,  on  a  chevron,  between  three  trefoils 
slij)ped,  a  luce  naiant,  all  counterchanged  ;  and,  for  crest,  a  luce 
naiant  or. 

The  arms  of  Picke  have  also  an  allusion  to  the  name  of  the 


62  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

fish,  per  chevron  vraxj  argent  find  vert,  in  chief  two  hiceg  chevron- 
wise,  respecting  each  other,  propter ;  and  in  base  a  hind  statant  of 
the  first.  Piketon  bears,  argent,  three  luces  naiant  in  pale  gules ; 
and  Pikeworth,  azure,  three  luces  naiant  within  a  border  engrailed 
argent. 

The  play  upon  the  name  is  more  evident  in  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Pickering  of  Alconbury,  in  Huntingdonshire,  gules,  a 
luce  naiant  between  three  annulets  argent ;  and  of  the  same 
punning  quality  is  the  ornamental  device  which  is  affixed  to 
Mr.  Montagu's  "  Guide  to  the  Study  of  Heraldry,"  a  most 
interesting  introduction  to  the  subject,  published  by  William 
Pickering. 


So  prevailing  is  the  opinion  of  the  inferiority  of  canting  arms, 
that  it  is  necessary  to  repeat  that  the  parody  or  pun  exists  not 
only  in  the  monkish  rebus,  "  Like  Prior  Bolton  ^^-ith  his  bolt  and 
tun,"  but  that  the  noblest  peers  in  the  earliest  times  are  found 
to  have  been  equally  characterized  by  simple  objects  depicted  on 
their  standards  having  reference  to  their  liigh-sounding  names. 
The  broom  plant  was  the  well-kno^Mi  device  of  the  Plantagenets. 
The  Lords  ComjTi  bore  a  garb  or  sheaf  of  cummin  or  barley : 
Corbet,  a  raven,  corheau.  The  Arundt-lls  were  known  by  the 
swallows,  hironddlcs^*  and   Heriz   by  the  herison  or  hedgehog. 

*  The  swallows  borne  by  an  ancestor  of  the  fnmilv  of  ArundcU,  and  which  his  descend- 
ants display  to  this  day,  are  mentii^ncJ  by  Gulirlmus  Brito,  or  William  the  Breton, 
author  of  a  Latin  poem  on  the  exploits  of  Philip  Augustus: 

Ilirundolx  velocior  alite,  qu^B  dat 

Hoc  agnomen  ei,  fert  ciijiis  in  a-gide  signum. 

This  is  one  of  the  earliest  specimens  of  what  ar»>  called  canting  arms,  or  anncs  parhmtes. 
Vide  a  notice  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  English  heraldry  in  the  Pictorial  History  of 
England,  1837,  vol  L  page  C4l. 


THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISN. 


63 


The  ancient  faoiilies  of  Brooke  and  Grey  assumed  the  hadger, 
an  animal  provineialiy  known  by  tlie  names  of  brock  or  gray, 
and  with  the  fox  equally  regarded  as  an  object  of  sport. 

"  To  hunt  by  day  the  fox,  by  night  the  gray." 

The  mulberry,  in  the  same  spirit  of  parody,  was  the  chosen 
device  of  the  family  of  Mowbray,  founders  and  benefactors  of 
Byland  Abbey  in  Yorkshire. 

Argent,  on  a  pale  sable  a  demi-luce  or ;  crest,  out  of  a  ducal 
coronet,  a  demi-luce  or,  are  the  armorial  ensigns  of  the. family  of 


Gascoigne  of  Gawthorp,  a  place  interesting  to  every  lover  of 
genius  and  of  virtue ;  for  while  the  long  series  of  the  Lords  of 
Harewood  Castle  produced  nothing  but  ordinary  knights  and 
baronS,  who  fought,  and  hunted,  and  died,  Gawthorp  was  the 
patrimonial  residence  of  Chief  Justice  Gascoigne,  and  the  fa- 
vourite retreat  of  his  illustrious  descendant,  Thomas  Earl  of 
Strafford.* 

Sir  William  Gascoigne,  born  at  Gawthorp  Hall,  near  Leeds 

*  WTiitaker's  History  of  Leeds,  p.  IGo. 


64  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

in  Yorkshire,  was  Chief  Justice  of  the  King's  Bench  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  IV,  and  was  celebrated  no  less  for  his  abilities 
than  his  integrity.  His  monument,  with  his  effigies  and  that  of 
his  lady,  the  heiress  of  Sir  William  :Mowbray  of  Kirklington,  is. 
yet  remaining  in  Harewood  Church,  which  surpasses  perhaps 
every  parish  church  of  the  county  of  York  in  the  number  and 
perfect  preservation  of  the  tombs  of  its  Lords.  He  was  the 
ancestor  of  another  Sir  William  Gascoigne  of  Gawthorp,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VII,  whose  heiress  married  Thomas  Wentworth, 
Esq.  of  Woodhouse,  in  Yorkshire,  from  whom  descended  the 
Earl  of  Strafford  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  the  second  Earl  of 
that  title,  the  Marquess  of  Rockingham,  the  Earls  Fitz  William, 
and  the  Lord  Strafford  of  Harmondsworth. 

Another  descendant  of  the  same  femily,  Sir  John  Gascoigne 
of  Parlington  near  Wetherby,  was  created  a  Baronet  by  King 
Charles  I.  in  1635.  This  title  became  extinct  in  1810;  but  the 
estates  devolved  to  Richard  Oliver,  Esq.  who  subsequently  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Gtiscoigne. 

The  present  Marquess  of  Salisbury  married  the  heiress  of 
Bamber  Gascoigne,  Esq.  of  Barking  in  Essex,  and  of  Childwall 
Hall  in  Lancashire,  a  descendant  of  this  family  through  Sir 
Crispe  Gascoigne,  who  was  Lord  Mayor  in  l7o3.  His  lordship, 
after  his  marriage,  used  the  name  of  Gascoigne  before  that  of 
Cecil  and  all  his  titles  of  honour. 

George  Gascoigne  the  poet,  who  served  with  honour  in  the 
Low  Country  wars,  was  of  an  Essex  family.  On  his  return  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  letters,  and  is  known  by  his 
*'  Princely  Pleasures  of  Kcnilworth,"  a  masque  written  for  the 
amusement  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  Avhom  he  accompanied  in  her 
stately  progress  in  the  summer  of  1575. 

Gascoigne  Nightingale,  Esq.  of  Enfield  in  Middlesex,  1749, 
changed  his  name  from  Gascoigne,  pursuant  to  the  will  of  Sir 
Robert  Nightingale,  Bart,  of  Newport  Pond,  in  Essex,  and  bore 
the  arms  of  Nightingale  and  Gascoigne  quarterly.* 

The  Norfolk  family  of  Lilliug  bear  for  arms,  grdes,  three  luces 
naiant  in  pale,  within  a  border  argent.  The  fomily  of  Oyry 
bear,  azure,  three  luces  hauriant  argent,  between  as  many  frets 
or ;  and  that  of  Ostoft,  sable,  three  luces''  heads  erased  argent. 

Ermine,  on  a  bend  saMe,  three  luces'  heads  erased  argent,  are 

•  Warbiirtoirs  Middlesex  lUubtmted,  p.  104. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF   FISH.  65 

the  arms  of  the  family  of  Gillet,  branches  of  which  were  seated 
at  Broadfield  in  Norfolk,  and  at  Ipswich  in  Suftblk.  The  head 
only  of  the  fish  was  shown  in  the  arms  of  Gillet,  possibly  as  a 
play  upon  the  name.  The  g-ills  on  each  side  of  the  head  are 
remarkable  in  the  structure  of  fish,  as  by  them  they  perform 
their  aquatic  respiration.  Water  entering  at  their  mouth  is 
forced  out  again  at  the  opening  of  the  gills,  and  thus  maintains 
almost  a  constant  stream  through  them  similar  to  the  current  of 
air  in  the  respiration  of  animals. 

Sable,  three  luces  hauriant  argent,  are  described  as  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Fishacre,  seated  at  Combe  Fishacre  in  the  parish 
of  Ipplepen,  Devonshire,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II. 


Of  this  ancient  house  were  several  members  of  equestrian  rank. 
Sir  Peter  Fishacre,  who  is  said  to  have  founded  Morleigh  church 
near  Totnes,  is  commemorated  by  a  monument  in  the  chancel. 
Richard  Fishacre,  another  of  this  family,  acquired  reputation  by 
his  study  of  theology,  and  was  the  friend  of  Robert,  brother  of 
Roger  Bacon,  the  wonder  of  his  age  :  he  died  in  124S,  and  was 
buried  at  Oxford.  Martin  Fishacre  ■vi'as  Sherift'  of  Devonshire 
in  1364. 

The  crest  of  the  family  of  Garling,  a  fish's  head  erased,  per  fess 
proper,  is  perhaps  intended  as  a  play  upon  the  name,  and  should 
be  the  Garfish,  or  sea-pike,  found  upon  the  coasts  of  Europe. 
Le  Centropome,  the  Brochet  de  INIer  of  .Cuvier,  which  forms  ;ui 
article  of  consumption  in  South  America,  is  a  kind  of  perch, 
but  is  called  a  sea-pike  :  the  sea-luce  of  heraldry  is  the  hake,  the 
Merlucius  of  the  naturalist. 


66 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


THE   FLYING   FISH. 

All  fish  wliich  shine  with  brilliant  colour?,  and  the  flying  fish, 
to  which  air  and  water  seem  alike,  are  peculiar  to  the  seas  of  the 
torrid  zone. 

As  typical  of  his  o^wti  extraordinary  elevation,  Dr.  E-obinson, 
who  became  Bishop  of  Carlisle  in  the  reign,  of  Elizabeth,  ap- 
pears to  have  assumed  for  his  armorial  distinction  this  remark- 
able fish,  not  painted  according  to  its  true  form,  but  as  it  was 
then  believed  to  be,  a  fish  with  wings. 

Azure,  a  flying  fish  in  bend  argent,  on  a  chief  of  the  second, 
a  rose  between  two  torteaux :  these  are  impaled  with  the  arms 
of  his  bishopric,  argent,  a  cross  sable,  charged  in  the  centre  with 
a  mitre  or. 


Henry  Robinson  entered  Queen's  College,  Oxford,  in  1568  as 
a  servitor.  He  was  consecrated  Bi^^hop  of  Carlisle  in  1598,  and 
died  in  1G16.  A  brasis  plate  bearing  liis  portrait,  with  his  arms 
and  an  inscription,  was  [tlactd  on  the  wall  of  the  chancel  in  his 
own  cathedral  when  lie  was  buried,  and  aiiother  near  tlie  altar 
of  Queen's  College  chapel. 


THE   HJiRALDRY   OF    FISH. 


67 


This  beautiful  fish,  at  tlie  time  of  Sir  Francis  Drake's  success- 
ful voyage  of  discovery,  for  which  ho  \v'i>s  knighted  hy  Quoen 
EKzabeth,  was  hut  little  known.  "  Nothing,""  says  his  biogra- 
pher,* "  surprised  the  crew  more  than  the  flying  fish,  which  is 
nearly  the  same  size  with  a  herring,  and  has  fins  of  the  length  of 
his  whole  body,  by  the  help  of  which,  when  he  is  pursued  by  the 
bonito,  and  finds  himself  on  the  point  of  being  taken,  he  springs 
up  into  the  air,  and  flies  forward  as  long  as  his  wings  continue 
wet ;  when  they  become  dry  and  stiff,  he  falls  down  into  the 
water  and  dips  them  again  for  a  second  flight.  This  unhappy 
animal  is  not  only  pursued  by  fishes  in  his  natural  element,  but 
attacked  in  the  air  by  the  don  or  sparkite,  a  bird  that  preys  upon 
fish." 

Other  early  instances  of  this  fish  borne  in  heraldry  are  the  Ger- 
man families  of  Von  }3oltzig  of  Brunswick,  gules,  a  flying  fish  in 
bend  argent,  winged  or ;  and  Senitz  in  Silesia,  gules,  a  flying  fish 
in  bend  argent. -f  Argent,  three  flying  fishes  naiant  in  pale  azure, 
wings  and  fins  gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Bulamfeck. 

Vert,  three  flying  fishes  in  pale  argent,  were  the  arms  granted 
in  1758  to  John  Garraston,  Esq.  of  Lincoln. 


Miss  Stickney,  in  her  very  interesting  Illustration  of  the 
Poetry  of  Life,  found  little  to  say  on  fish  ;  two  kinds  only, 
the  flying  fish,  and  the  dolphin,  being  familiar  in  the  language 
of  poetry,  and  conducive  to  its  figurative  charm.  The  formor, 
in  its  transient  and  feeble  flight,  has  been  made  the  subject  of 
some  beautiful  lines  by  Moore  :  while  the  dol[>hin,  from  the 
beauty  of  its  form,  and  the  gorgeous  colours  which  arc  s;iid  to 
be  produced  by  its  last  agonies,  is  celebrated  in  the  poet's  lay  asj 
an  emblem  of  the  glory  ^vhich  shines  most  cons])icuou5ly  in  the 
hour  of  death. 

•  Doctor  Johnson.  t  Sibmacher. 

f2 


68 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


III. 

antr  2Xoac5» 

The  Barbel  is  a  large,  strong,  and  very  handsome  river  fish, 
so  named  from  the  barbs  attached  to  its  mouth,  which  enable 
it  to  search  for  food,  tliat  is  obtained  near  the  bottom  and  in 
the  deepest  parts  of  the  stream.  Their  beauty  and  their  abun- 
dance, particularly  in  the  rivers  Ehine,  Elbe,  and  Weser,  have 
caused  these  fish  to  be  much  used  in  foreign  heraldry,  in  which 
they  are  always  termed  Bars,  and  are  generally  depicted  em- 
bowed. 

As  a  rebus  on  the  name  of  their  fief,  barbel  were  assumed  as 
a  distinctive  mark  on  the  military  banners  of  the  ancient  Counts 
of  Bar,  a  demesne  westward  of  Lorraine,  now  included  in  the 
department  of  the  Meuse  ;  their  arms  are,  azure,  semee  of  crosses, 
two  barbel  endorsed  or. 


The  same  arms,  but  within  a  border  as  a  mark  of  difference, 
are  found  amongst  those  of  the  English  knights  in  "  The  Siege 
of  Carlaveroek,"  an  heraldic  poem  composed  at  the  time  of  the 
event,  by  Walter  of  Exeter,  presenting  one  of  the  most  faithfid 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


69 


pictures  of  the  mniiners  of  the  age  in  which  it  was  written, 
and  containing  minute  details  of  the  siege  of  a  castle  in  Scotland 
by  King  Edward  I.  in  July  1300.  "John  de  Bar  was  likewise 
there,  who  in  a  blue  banner  crusilly  bore  two  barbels  of  gold, 
with  a  red  border  engrailed,"  *  This  knight  is  supposed  to  have 
been  one  of  the  sons  of  Thibaut  Count  of  Bar.  As  Henry 
Count  of  Bar,  the  eldest  son,  had  a  few  years  before  married 
Eleanor  the  daughter  of  King  Edward  I.  of  England,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  his  brother  John  would  be  in  the  King's  retinue  ; 
and  as  his  name  in  the  poem  follows  that  of  John  of  Brittany, 
the  King's  nephew,  and  afterwards  Earl  of  Richmond,  it  is 
likely  that  he  was  attached  to  the  royal  person  in  consequence 
of  that  alliance.  In  the  church  of  Berwick  St.  John,  in  Wilt- 
shire, is  a  tomb  with  a  figure  of  a  knight  in  mail  armour  bearing 
a  shield  charged  w*ith  the  arms,  of  Bar,  and  within  a  border; 
possibly  the  very  same  person,  but  the  conjecture  is  unsup- 
ported by  any  other  evidence  than  is  presented  by  the  armorial 
bearings. -f 

John  Earl  of  Surrey,  one  of  the  most  powerful  barons  of  Eng- 
land, and  who  stood  high  in  the  favour  of  King  Edward  III, 
married  Joan,  daughter  of  Henry  Count  of  Bar. 


His  seal,  impressed  about  1310,  bearing  a  shield  chequy,  the 

•  Translated  by  Sir  Harrii  Nicolas  and  printed  in  182!]. 

t  Nicobs's  edition  of  the  Siege  of  Carlaver(H.k,  ]inge  174.  The  name  of  this  knight 
also  occurs  in  the  household  roll  of  the  Lord  Edward,  tlie  Kintj's  6on,  among  the  Pell 
Records,  printed  by  Fred.  Devon,  Esq.  1 037. 


70 


TRTS    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


arms  of  Warren,  is  ornamented  on  It?  sides  with  tlie  barbel  and 
cross  crosslets  of  the  house  of  Bar ;  and  also,  in  allusion  to 
his  descent  from  Hameline  Plantagenet,  the  son  of  Geffrey  Earl 
of  Anjou,  the  shield  is  surmounted  by  the  lion  passant  guar- 
dant  of  the  house  of  Plfuitagenet.* 

The  seal  of  Joan  of  Ear,  the  Countess  of  Warren  and  Sur- 
rey, shows,  by  the  various  arms  upon  it,  her  ancestral  honours, 
the  object  of  ail  armorial  arrangement.  The  Countess  was  the 
daughter  of  Henry  Count  of  Bar  and  Eleanor  daughter  of  King 
Edward  I.  The  ^V'ar^eu  arms  are  placed  in  a  lozenge  in  the 
centre  of  the  seal,  and  between  the  arms  of  Bar. 


vS?. 


The  arms  of  her  mother,  a  princess  of  England,  are  in  chief 
and  in  base  ;  and  in  the  smaller  compartments  into  which  the 
surface  of  the  seal  is  tastefully  divided,  are  the  arms  of  her 
grandmother,  Castile  and  Leon  alternately,  in  direct  allusion  to 
her  Spanish  descent. -f-  This  seal,  impressed  in  red  wax  about 
1347,  fully  illustrates  the  method  pursued  by  the  heralds  of  dis- 
posing •'-arious  arms,  previously  to  the  adoption  of  quarterings, 
or  the  arrangement  of  the  whole  in  one  shield  according  to 
modern  practic'e.;^ 

The  house  of  Bar  merged  into  that  of  Lorraine  in  consequence 

•  Watson's  Earls  of  Warren.  f  Sandford's  Royal  Genealogy,  p.  139. 

X  On  nionnments  erected  before  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  separate  coats  of  anns, 
denoting  the  honourable  alliances  of  the  Cuiiily,  are  to  be  observed,  as  on  the  tombs  of 
the  Valences,  Earli  of  Pembroke,  in  Wi-stminster  Abbey,  which  were  erected  before  the 
practice  of  quartering  amia  was  adopted. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF   FISH.  71 

of  the  marriage  of  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Heury  Count  of  Bar, 
vn'th  Rudolph  Duke  of  Lorraine,  who  was  slain  at  the  battle  of 
Crecy  in  1346,  Isabel,  Duchess  of  Lorraine  and  IJar,  daughter 
of  Charles  the  Brave,  the  grandson  of  Eudolph,  married  Reno 
d'Anjou,  King  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  whose  arms,  quartering  Bar, 
are  described  in  a  contemporary  poem  by  his  King  of  Arms, 
Croissant  d'or,  the  name  also  of  an  order  of  knighthood  peculiar 
to  Naples. 

Se  tvois  pui^£i<in5  ropaumcsJ  5ou5  tymbrc  roronne 

3Portc  m  c})tl  en  iScs!  armcS,  le  noble  i\oi)  t\tnt, 

^ongti'e,  ct  ^fctlc,  ?i){cruiJalcm  au^^t, 

^inii  que  boir  poubc|  ni  ctt  e^cvit  id 

9njou  ct  33ar  tn  }?it1i^,  ti\id)t\  'Oe  granti  rntom, 

et  un  vot'al  ticu  gur  le  tout  i'^lrratjon.* 

Rene  d'Anjou,  King  of  Naples,  was  the  father  of  Marga- 
ret, the  queen  of  Henry  VL  of  England.  Her  arms  in  the 
windows  of  Ockwell  House  in  Berkshire,  with  the  motto, 
?>umblf  ft  loiall,  are  engraved  in  Lysons's  Berkshire,  and  in  Wd- 
lement's  Regal  Heraldry.  The  same,  surrounded  by  a  border 
vert,  are  the  arms  of  Queens  College  at  Cambridge  University, 
founded  by  the  Queen. 

The  house  of  Lorraine  came  from  the  same  ancestors  as  the 
house  of  Hapsburg,  Gerard,  descended  from  the  Landgraves  of 
Alsace,  was  created  Duke  of  Lorraine  in  1048  by  the  Emperor 
Henry  IH.  They  bore  for  arms,  quarterly,  1st,  Hungary,  as 
descendants  of  Charles  Martel,  the  father  of  a  line  of  kings, 
whose  ■  epithet  of  Martel,  tlie  hammer,  was  expressive  of  his 
weighty  and  irresistible  strokes  when  opposed  to  the  Saracens ; 
the  2ud  quartering  Naples  ;  ord,  Jerusalem  ;  4th,  Arragon ;  5th, 
Anjou  ;  6th,  Gueldres ;  7th,  JuUers  ;  and  Sth,  Bar  ;  the  whole 
surmounted  by  the  arms  of  Lorraine,  or,  on  a  bend  gules,  three 
alerions  argent.  The  alerion,  an  eagle  without  beak  or  feet,  was 
assumed  as  an  anagram  on  the  name  of  Lorraine. 

These  arms  are  generally  found  surrounded  by  a  mantle,  bear- 

♦  The  three  great  realms  under  a  crov^-ncd  crest. 
Noble  King  Rene  be;irs  as  chief  and  best, 
Hungarj",  Sicily,  and  Jonisaleni, 
And  here  ymi  b'-hdld  the  royal  storu, 
Anjou  and  Bar,  duchies  of  great  reno^\Ti, 
And  over  all  the  shield  of  Arragon. 


72 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


ing  the  same  quarterings,  one  of  the  earliest  instances  of  the 
use  of  the  m.intie  in  lieraldry,  v/hich,  according  to  Menestrier, 
was  adopted  about  1530. 


\\ 


mmm 


iT 


Stephen,  son  of  Leopold,  succeeded  his  father  as  Duke  of  Lor- 
raine in  1729.  He  ceded  that  duchy  to  Stanislaus,  King  of 
Poland,  and  Lecame  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  in  1739.  In  right 
of  his  wife,  Maria  Theresa,  he  had  the  crowns  of  Plungary  and 
Bohemia,  and  in  1745  was  elected  Emperor  of  Germany. 

The  arms  of  the  kingdoms  of  Bohemia  and  Hungary  consist 
of  twenty-four  quarterings,  now  belonging  to  the  house  of  Aus- 
tria. One  of  the  quarterings  containing  fish,  gules,  two  barbel 
addorsed  or,  are  the  anus  of  Pfyrt  in  Suntgau,  a  fief  which 
accrued  to  the  Archduke  Albert  in  1324,  in  right  of  his  wife 
Jane,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Ulric  Count  of  Pfyrt:  this  was 
one  of  the  six  happy  marriages  of  the  house  of  Austria.*  The 
arms  are  shoT\Ti  on  a  banner  carried  in  the  splendid  representa- 
tion of  Maximilian's  Triumph  by  Hans  Burgmair, 

Azure,  two  barbel  addorsed,  and  between  them  a  fleur-de-lis 
in  chief,  and  another  in  base  or,  one  of  the  heraldic  badges  of 
the  Stafford  family,  appears  to  be  composed  from  the  charges  in 
the  arms  of  Aujou  and  those  of  Bar.  The  representative  of  a 
family  assumes  the  right  to  use  its  badge,  an  appendage  of  rank, 
formerly  worn  by  the  retainers  of  emiuent  personages  on  a  con- 
spicuous part  of  their  dre;?s. 

*  Anderson's  Royal  Genealogies,  p.  46(;. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


73 


The  house  of  Stafford  descends  by  ten  different  marrlag-es  from 
the  royal  blood  of  England  and  France ;  and  the  badge,  one  of 
eighteen,  is  stained  on  marble,  with  the  well-known  Stafford 
knot  repeated  many  times,  on  the  monument  of  John  Paul 
Howard,  Earl  of  Stafford,  who  died  in  1762,  which  is  in  St. 
Edmund's  Chapel,  Westminster  Abbey. 


The  knots  of  silk  cord,  heraldic  ornaments  of  early  use,  are 
each  distinguished  by  the  names  of  families  to  which  they  indi- 
vidually belong,  as  the  Stafford  knot,  the  Bourchier  knot,  Wake's 
knot,  and  Dacre's  knot. 

Azure,  two  barbel  addorsed  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Montbeliard  of  Bar  ;  their  descendants,  De  Montfaucon,  who 
took  the  name  of  Montbeliard,  bore  for  arms,  gules,  two  barbel 
addorsed  or.*  Montfaucon  de  Dampierre,  in  Franche  Comte, 
bore  gules,  two  barbel  addorsed  within  a  double  tressure  or. 
The  family  of  the  learned  French  antiquary,  Bernard  de  Mont- 
faucon, was  originally  of  Gascony,  and  descended  from  the 
Lords  of  Montfaucon  le  Vieux,  first  barons  of  the  Comte  de 
Comminges. 

Azure,  two  barbel  addorsed  between  four  roses  or,  were  the 
heraldic  distinction  of  the  ancient  Counts  of  Barby,  on  the  Elbe, 
the  last  of  whom  died  in  1G59.  These  arms  were  atl:erwards 
quartered  by  the  Electors  of  Saxony,  the  Grand  Marshals  of  the 
Empire.  Barl)y,  after  having  formed  part  of  .Jerome  Bonai)arte's 
kingdom  of  Wtstphalia,  was  aimexed  to  Prussia  iu  1815. 

*  Palliot,  Science  des  Aiiuoirics,  page  10. 


74 


TflS    HEIiALDPvY    OF   FISH. 


The  barbel  appears  to  be  a  very  common  bearing  In  the  heral- 
dry of  the  Continent.  A  few  early  instances  only  will  be  men- 
tioned where  this  fish  hits  been  adopted  evidently  as  a  play  upon 
the  name  of  the  person  , 

Azure,  semee  of  cross  crosslets  fitchy,  two  barbel  addorsed 
or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Bar  de  Buranlure ;  that  of 
Bartet  de  Bonncval  bears,  azure,  three  barbel  in  bend  sinister  or  ; 
Bardin,  azure,  three  barbel  naiant  in  pale  argent ;  and  Barfuse, 
gules,  on  a  fess  argent  two  barbel  naiant  azure. 

As  an  example  of  the  term  mal-ordonnes,  or  false  disposition 
of  the  charges  in  the  shield,  when  one  figure  is  placed  above  two, 
contrary  to  the  usual  mode  of  two  in  chief  and  one  in  base, 
Palliot  gives  the  arms  of  Barbeau  in  Burgundy  ;  party  per  fess 
argent  and  gules,  three  roses,  mal-ordonnees  of  the  last,  in  chief, . 
and  two  barbel  chevronwise  or,  in  base. 

This  fish  is  very  rarely  borne  singly  in  armorial  ensigns ;  an 
instance  is  afforded  in  the  arms  of  Marchin,  a  Flemish  family, 
one  of  whom  was  in  the  service  of  King  Charles  II.  during 
his  Majesty's  residence  in  Holland ;  argent,  a  barbel  gules. 


John  Caspar  Ferdinand  de  Marchin,  Count  of  Graville,  Mar- 
quis of  Cluirmont  d'Antraguc,  Baron  of  Dunes,  Marchin, 
Mezers,  and  Modane,  Captain-General  in  the  service  of  the  King 
of  Spain,  and  Lieutenant-Gcneral  of  the  forces  of  King  Charles 
II.  of  England,  was  elected  Knight  Companion  of  the  Order  of 
the  Garter  at  Antwerp  in  1658  :  he  was  installed  in  1661. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


75 


Gules,  two  barbel  addorsed  or,  were  the  arms  of  Abel  Frangois 
Polsson,  Marquis  de  Mari^y,  brother  of  the  celebrated  Madame 
Pompadour. 

Argent,  two  barbel  respecting  each  other,  sable,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Colston,  a  name  sometimes  spelt  Coulston  and 
Coulson.  The  barbel  in  heraldry  being  generally  represente<l 
embowed,  as  well  as  the  dolphin,  in  careless  transcription  is 
called  a  dolphin,  as  in  the  instance  of  the  benevolent  merchant 
of  Bristol,  Edward  Colston,  in  respect  to  whom  the  Dolphin 
tavern  in  that  city  is  said  to  owe  its  sign ;  and  tradition  asserts 
that  his  crest  was  assumed  from  the  circumstance  of  a  dolphin 
ha\'ing  providentially  forced  itself  into  a  hole  and  stopped  the 
leak  of  one  of  his  ships  at  sea.  He  is  known  to  have  been 
remarkably  successful,  having  never  insured  a  ship,  and  having 
lost  but  one.  As  a  great  benefactor  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  his 
portrait,  by  Richardson,  is  preserved  in  the  Merchant  Adven- 
turers*' Hall ;  and  after  his  death  in  1721,  a  monument,  by  Eys- 
brach,  with  an  inscription  enumerating  his  public  charities,  was 
erected  in  All  Saints'  Church  in  the  same  city. 

Argent,  two  barbel  respecting  each  other,  sable,  conjoined 
with  collars  and  chain  pendtnt  or,  appear  to  have  been  the  ori- 
ginal arms  of  the  family  of  Colston,  from  wliich  many  branches 
have  descended,  bearing  some  variation  in  their  armorial  dis- 
tinctions. 


Argent,  three  barbel  hauriant  within  a  border  sable,  are  the 
arms  of  one  of  the  branches  of  this  family  :  and  argent,  a  che\Ton 
engrailed  gides,  between  three  barbel  embowed  siible  ;  crest,  an 
eagle  with  wings  endorsed  or,  preying  on  a  barbel,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Cuidson  of  St.  Ives  in  Huntingdonshire. 

John  Charlfs  Wallop,  Earl  of  Portsmouth,  in  17G.3  married 
Urania,  daughter  of  Coulsou   Fellowes,  Esq.  of  Hampstead  in 


76 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Middlesex.  Their  second  son,  the  Hon.  Newton  Fellowes  of 
Eggesford  in  Devonshire,  on  succeeding  to  the  estates  of  his 
maternal  uncle,  assumed  that  name  in  1794. 

The  arms  of  Coulson,  as  borne  by  Sir  John  Fellowes,  created 
Baronet  by  King  George  I.  in  1719,  are  quarterly,  1st  and  4th, 
azure,  a  fess  dancettee  ermine  between  three  lions'  heads  erased 
or,  murally  crowned  argent,  for  Fellowes  ;  2nd  and  Srd,  argent, 
two  barbel  hauriant,  respecting  each  other,  sable,  for  Coulson. 

Entravaille  is  a  French  term  applied  to  fish  when  interlaced 
in  the  bars  or  bendlets  crossing  the  shield.  Gules,  two  bars 
wavy  azure,  with  two  barbel  addorsed  or,  entravailles  in  the  bars, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Kiviere  de  St.  Denis  des  Monts, 
in  Normandy.* 


The  general  colour  of  the  barbel  is  a  greenish  brown  on  the 
head  and  body,  which  on  the  sides  becomes  a  yellowish  green, 
and  the  fins  are  tinged  with  red.  There  is  some  difficulty  in 
appropriating  the  different  species  of  fish  in  heraldic  bearings; 
but  in  the  following  instances  barbel  appear  to  be  intended, 
being  a  pun  on  the  first  syllable  of  the  name  of  the  family.   ' 

Gules,  a  fess  between  three  barbel  naiant  argent ;  ]3am-ais. 
Vert,  three  barbel  hauriant  argent ;  Bardin.  Azure,  two  barbel 
hauriant  or  ;  Bare.  Gules,  three  barbel  within  a  border  indented 
argent ;  Bernard  of  Essex.  Azure,  on  a  fess  argent  three  barbel 
hauriant  sable,  within  a  border  engrailed  of  the  second  ;  Bar- 
nardes.     Argent,  on  a  bend  sable,  three  barbel  naiant  or ;  Bures. 


Dictroiinaire  Heraldique.     Paris,  1774. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FTSH. 


77 


THE     CARP. 


Thebe  are  no  ancient  instances  of  this  fish  in  English  heraldry, 
but  it  was  certainly  known  here,  and  is  mentioned  in  "  The 
Treatyse  of  Fysshynge  wyth  an  Angle,*"  the  very  earliest  essay 
upon  this  suhject,  supposed  to  have  been  written  in  the  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century.*  The  golden  carp  were  introduced 
about  1611  :  the  first  of  that  species  sent  to  France,  is  said 
to  have  been  a  present  to  IMadarne  Pompadour. 

Carp  are  found  in  most  of  the  rivers  and  lakes  of  Europe, 
more  particularly  in  Prussia  and  the  Austrian  empire,  where 
fresh-water  fish  are  held  in  much  higher  estimation  for  the  table 
than  in  this  country. 

Azure,  two  carp  addorsed  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Karpfen  of  Swabia,  agreeably  to  the  pictorial  manner  in  which 
the  names  of  families  were  represented  in  their  armorial  ensigns.-|- 
Karpfen  bears  for  crest,  on  a  golden  coronet,  a  carp  erect  argent, 
and  supporting  a  buck's  attire  azure. 


Colombi<>re,  who  wTote  on  the  origin  of  heraldry,  when  treating 
of  the  arrasof  Rohan,  gules,  nine  macles  or,  first  used  about  1222, 
says,  '•  Opinions  vary  about  the  origin  of  the  mack-s  ;  some  writers 

•  Printed  in  18-27,  by  Pickering,  from  Wynkyn  de  Worde's  Boke  of  St,  Allan's,  1496. 
t  Sibmacher's  Wapenbuch,  1605, 


78  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

call  them  masclos,  or  mashes,  an<l  in  old  manuscripts  these  figures 
are  blazoned  like  the  meshes  of  a  net :  but  having  observed  that 
whatever  is  remarkable  in  some  countries,  has  been  represented 
in  arms,  I  am  of  opinion  that  tlie  ancient  Lords  of  Rohan,  al- 
though descended  from  tlie  Princes  of  Brittany,  took  the  macles 
because  in  the  duchy  of  Eohan  there  are  flints  which,  being  cut 
in  two,  this  very  figure  appears  on  the  insides,  and  also  that  the 
carp  in  the  fish-ponds  of  the  duchy  have  the  same  remarkable 
mark  upon  their  scales,  r/hich,  being  peculiar  to  that  part  of  the 
country,  the  Lords  Rohan  had  reason  to  take  those  figures  for 
their  armorial  distinction,  giving  them  the  name  of  macles  or 
spots.  Some  of  that  house  bear  the  motto,  '  Sine  macula  macla,' 
a  mascle  without  a  spot."  * 

The  carp  is  a  very  strong  fish,  beautiful  in  its  form,  and  poeti- 
cally described  as  having  "  scales  bedropt  with  gold."  In  colour 
the  head  is  darkest,  the  body  a  golden  olive,  and  the  belly  a 
yellowish  white.  Gules,  three  carp  naiant  in  pale  argent,  are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Do  Blocg.-f* 


.  There  is  a  species  of  fish  bearing  a  strong  affinity  to  the  carp 
of  England,  which  is  found  in  Benjral, 

Where,  by  a  thousand  rivers  fed, 
Swift  Ganges  fills  his  spacious  bed- 

This  fish,  the  Cyprinus  Rohita  of  the  Lidian  zoologists,  is  used 
as  a  badge  of  .dignity,  under  the  name  of  Mahi  ]\LaratIb,  and, 
agreeably  to  eastern  parade,  is  borne  in  ceremonials  upon  ele- 
phants before  the  officers  of  state.  The  image  of  the  fish  is  made 
of  copper  gilt,  and  is  partly  enveloped  in  a  mantle  of  green 
brocade. 

Mahi  is  a  Persian  word  meaning  a  fish  generally,  and  'Main  gir 
•  Diet.  Herald.  1725,  page  232.  t  Palliot. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


79 


is  a  fisherman ;  but  the  particular  species  represented  on  the 
banners  of  the  King  of  Oudc  is  that  of  a  true  carp,  the  Cyprimis 
Rohita,  considered  as  the  most  valuable  fish  which  is  found  in 
the  fresh-water  rivers  of  the  Gangetic  provinces,  and  its  beauty 
both  in  form  and  colour  equals  its  value  for  the  table.* 


The  Mahi  maratib,  or  dignity  of  the  fish,  is  said  to  have 
originated  with  the  Mogul  djTiasty  founded  by  Zingis  Khan, 
the  conqueror  of  Asia,  in  1206.  The  fish  was  selected  as  a 
badge  from  an  Oriental  legend  recorded  in  the  Koran,  stating 
that  Abraham,  after  sacrificing  a  goat  instead  of  his  son  Isaac, 
threw  the  knife  into  the  water,  when,  it  struck  a  fish.  A  fish 
is  therefore  the  only  animal  eaten  by  Mahometans  without  pre- 
viously having  its  throat  cut. 

This  dignity  or  order  was  revived  by  one  of  the  Emperors  of 
Mogul,  who  was  contemporary  with  Queen  Elizabeth,  and 
was  at  a  recent  period  conferred  upon  General  Gerard  Lake, 
after  his  brilliant  successes  in  the  Mahratta  war,  during  the 
administration  of  the  ^larquess  Wellesley.  When  the  General 
visited  Shah  Aulum  at  the  palace  of  Delhi  in  September  1803, 
he  received  from  the  Emperor  a  Persian  title,  which  may  be 
translated  "  the  Victorious  in  War,  the  Saviour  of  the  State, 
and  the  Hero  of  the  Land.''  The  next  year  he  was  created  Lord 
Lake  by  King  George  III,  and  in  1S07  was  advanced  to  the 
title  of  A'iscount  Lake  of  Delhi  and  Laswaree,  with  an  augmen- 
tation to  his  paternal   arms  indicative  of  his  Asiatic  honours. 

•  Hamilton's  Fishes  of  the  Ganges,  182-2. 


80 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Sable,  a  bend  between  six  cross  crosslets  fitchy  argent,  on  a  chief 
of  the  last  the  fish  of  Mogul,  per  pale  or  and  vert,  banded  vert, 
and  gules,  surmounting  the  Goog  and  Ullum,  honourable  insignia, 
in  saltier. 


The  creed  in  India  appears  to  consider  a  fish  as  the  saviour  of 
the  world. 

"  In  the  whole  world  of  creation 
None  were  seen  but  these  seven  sages,  Menu,  and  the  Fish. 
Years  on  years,  and  still  unwearied  drew  that  Fish  the  bark  along. 
Till  at  length  it  came  where  reared  Himavan  its  loftiest  peak. 
There  at  length  they  came,  and  smiling  thus  the  Fish  addressed  the  Sage  : 
'  Bind  thou  now  thy  stately  vessel  to  the  peak  of  Himavan.'' 
At  the  Fish's  mandate,  quickly  to  the  peak  of  Himavan 
Bound  the  Sage  his  bark  ;  and  even  to  this  day  that  loftiest  peak 
Bears  the  name  of  Xaubandhana."  * 

The  fish,  in  the  Hindu  example  here  sho'v\-n,  are  evidently 
carp,  and  are  disposed  with  barbaric  fancy  in  a  manner  not  un- 
known to  heraldry,  a  tricorporated  fish  meeting  under  one  head, 


and  one  eye  only  seen ;   the  flower  Is  intended  for  the  celebrated 
Indian  Lotus,  the  Nilumbium  spcciosum  ot*the  botanist. 
*  Translation  of  Sanscrit  poetry  in  the  Quarterly  Review,  1839. 


THE. HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 


81 


Azure,  three  fisK  fonjoJnod  in  one  hotid  nt  the  fess  point,  one 
tail  in  dexter  chief,  another  in  sinister  chief,  and  the  third  in 
base,  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  Silesian  family  of  Kreckwitz. 

Gules,  three  fish  with  one  head  argent,  and  disposed  as  the 
above,  are  the  arms  of  Die  Hilnder  of  Franconia. 

Gules,  three  fish,  their  heads  meeting  at  the  fess  point  argent, 
are  the  arms  of  Dornheini  of  Silesia.* 

Gules,  three  fish  conjoined  at  their  tails  in  triangle  or,  their 
heads  sable,  are  the  arms  of  Eernbach. 


THE   GUDGEON. 

Gudgeons  swim  in  shoals  in  the  rivers  Thames,  Mersey,  Colnc, 
Kennet,  and  Avon  :  the  only  instances  in  which  these  fish  are  used 
in  heraldry  are  in  reference  to  the  name,  and  that  from  the  Latin 
Gobio,  or  the  French  Goujon. 

A  Catalogue  of  the  Nobility  of  England,  compiled  by  Glover, 
Somerset  Herald  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  being  the  first  printed, 
requires  to  be  quoted  with  caution.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
many  manuscript  lists  of  early  date,  well  known  to  the  ad- 
mirers of  heraldiy  by  the  name  of  Barons'"  Books.  In  several 
of  this  latter  class  is  to  be  found  the  name  of  William  Gobyon, 
Earl  of  Southampton,  -v^hosc  heirs-general  were  married  to  Sir 

Stonor,  and  to  Sir  George  Turpin,  knights,  in  the  time 

of  Edward  I. 


i£:^  €fe«  ^E^ 

<!C=^ 



1^1 

V 

^ 

L>7 

v<:^ 


Quarterly,  1st  and  Uh  or,  2nd  and  3rd  barry  argent,  and 
gules,  all  within  a  border  .><abk-,  charged  with  fight  gudgeons 
fes^<wi<e  argent  are  the  arms  of  Gubyon. 

•   SibraaL-lier's  Wapeiibiuli. 


82 


THE  HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


Grobions,  a  marxor  tit  North  Mirns,  In  Hertfordshire,  was  held 
by  a  family  of  the  same  name  as  early  as  the  roigu  of  Stephen. 

Gobious,  in  the  pariah  of  Toppesfield  in  Essex,  was  named 
from  a  knightly  wmily  who  had  large  possessions  in  other  parts 
of  that  coimty.  Sir  Thomas  Gobiou  was  Sheriff  of  Essex  and 
Hertfordshire  in  lo2."> ;  and  John  Gobion  was  in  the  list  of 
the  gentry  of  Essex  in  1483.*  The  manor  house  of  Black 
Notley  is  also  called  Gobious,  from  having  been  in  possession  of 
a  family  of  that  name  at  an  early  period. 

Argent,  three  gudgeons  hauriant,  within  a  border  engrailed  sa- 
ble, are  the  arms  of  the  ancient  family  of  Gobion,  of  Waresley 
in  Huntingdonshire,  on  the  borders  of  Cambridgeshire.  These 
arms  are  borne  as  one  of  the  quarterings  of  the  Earl  of  Lanes- 
borough,  the  lineal  descendant  of  John  Butler,  and  Isolda  the  • 
daughter  and  heiress  of  William  Gobion,  seated  at  Waresley,  in 
the  reign  of  Edward  III. 


Arms  quarterly,  1st  and  -ith  argent,  three  covered  cups  in 
bend  between  two  bcudlets  engi-ailed  sable  ;  for  Butler :  2nd, 
argent,  three  gmlgeous  hauriant,  within  a  border  engrailed  sable  ; 
for  Gobion  :  Srd,  per  pale  or  and  sable,  a  chevron  between  three 
escallops,  all  counterchanged  ;  for  Brinsley  of  Nottinghamshire. 
Mary,  t)ie  daughter  and  heiress  of  Gervase  Brinsley  in  the  reign 
of  Charles  I,  married  Sir  Stephen  Butler  of  Belturbet,  in  Ireland, 
the  ancestor  of  the  Earl  of  Lanesborough.  • 
*  Fullcr'a  Worthies,  page  34'2. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  83 

Argent,  three  gudgeons  within  a  border  sabk%  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Gobaud.  Azure,  billetty  two  gudgeons  addorsed 
or,  are  the  arms  of  Gougeux,  a  family  of  Vendome,  which  as- 
sumed the  surname  of  RouviHe,  that  of  an  ancient  house  of 
Normandy.* 

Azure,  two  gudgeons  in  saltier  argent,  in  base  water,  waved 
proper,  are  the  arms  of  the  French  family  of  Goujon ;  a  name 
that  ranks  high  in  art.  John  Goujon  was  one  of  the  most  emi- 
nent sculptors  of  the  reign  of  Francis  I.  ;  his  relievos  have  rarely 
been  surpassed,  and  from  the  inimitable  spirit  and  grace  which 
pervade  his  w^orks  he  is  termed  the  Correggio  of  sculpture. 


Water,  as  shown  in  the  arms  of  Goujon,  is  rarely  introduced 
in  English  heraldry  ;  but  an  undulated  line  expressive  of  waves, 
and  conveying  the  idea  of  water,  is  commonly  used. 


Rivers  that  move 


In  majesty,  and  the  complaining  brooks 
That  make  the  mcaJowa  green, 

are  equally  depicted  on  the  shields  of  feudal   lords  where  pri- 
vilege or  potency  is  necessary  to  be  shown. 

Barry  wavy  argent  and  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of 

"  Palliot,  Science  de3  Armoiries. 


84  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

Sanclfortl,  wliicli  derived  the  name  from  lands  near  a  passage  of 
the  Isis  in  Oxfordshire,  and  whose  possessions  subsequently  fall- 
ing to  the  Veres,  these  arms  were  quartered  by  the  Earls  of 
Oxford  of  that  name,  and  by  their  representatives. 

Gules,  two  bars  wavy  or,  are  the  arms  of  De  la  River,  the 
name  of  a  family  which,  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Edward  I,  was 
seated  at  Shetibrd,  a  passage  of  the  Lambourn,  one  of  the 
sources  of  the  Keunet,  and  like  that  river  abundant  with  trout, 
barbel,  and  pike.  The  family  of  llivers  of  River  Hill,  in  Hamp- 
shire, bore  for  arms,  azure,  two  bars  indented  or,  in  chief  three 
bezants  with  the  motto,  Secus  Rivos  aquarum. 

As  a  boundary,  the  river  becomes  of  importance  to  an  estate, 
and  of  this  the  heralds  as  well  as  the  poets  are  not  unmindful. 
Drayton  notices 

The  furious  Teme,  that  on  the  Cambrian  side, 
Doth  Shropshire  as  a  meaie  from  Hereford  divide. 

Hotspur,  it  will  be  remembered,  objects  to  the  division  of  his 
country  by  the  Trent, 

See  how  this  river  comes  me  crankling  in, 
And  cuts  me  from  the  best  of  all  my  land.* 

The  passage  of  water  has  been  so  constant  a  source  of  dispute 
between  states  and  inhabitants  that  the  word  river  might  thence 
have  been  the  root  of  rivalry  or  contention  of  any  kind.^f 

Heralds  refer  the  four  silver  stripes  in  the  arms  of  Hungary 
to  the  principal  rivers  of  the  country,  the  Drave,  the  Nyss,  the 
Save,  and  the  Danube,  all  abounding  with  fish.  The  arms  of 
Drummond,  or,  three  bars  wavy  gules,  show  Hungarian  de- 
scent, the  family  of  the  Viscount  Strathallan  deriving  its  origin 
from  Maurice,  an  Hungarian  who  attended  Edgar  Atheling 
and  his  sister  Margaret,  afterwards  Queen  of  Scotland,  to  Dum- 
fermlin,  and  was  by  King  Malcolm  HI.  made  Seneschal  of 
Lennox. 

Water,,  having  reference  to  some  important  boundary  of  the 
fief,  appears  to  be  indicated  by  the  adoption  of  harry  argent  and 
azure,  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Grey,  one  of  the  most  ancient, 
wide-spread,  and  illustrious  in  the  English  peerage,  descended 
from  that  of  De  Croy,  in  Picardy,  a  name  having  the  same  deri- 

•  Shakespeare,  Henry  IV.  t   Forsyth's  iLily. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  85 

vatlon  as  cray  and  creek,  whence  also  cray  fish,  and  crayer  a 
small  ship  for  ascending  rivers.  Some  branches  of  this  family 
have  varied  the  arms,  and  others  have  an  anchor  for  a  device 
with  the  word  "  Fast ;'"'  but  the  Earls  of  Stamford,  the  Earls 
of  Wilton,  and  the  Earl  De  Grey,  who  is  descended  from  the 
Earls  and  Dukes  of  Kent,  retain  the  original  arms. 

A  river  is  represented  in  foreign  shields  of  arms,  flowing  as  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  Vert,  three  rivers  fesswise,  argent,  are 
the  arms  of  the  German  family  of  Gilse,  of  Hesse.  Gules,  a 
river  in  bend  argent  are  the  arms  of  Lauterbach  of  the  same 
country.* 

Gules,  in  a  river  in  bend  argent,  three  fish  azure,  are  the  arms 
of  the  imperial  town  of  Onoltzbaeh.-f- 


Gules,  a  river  in  fess  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Von 
Buren  of  Saxony. :J:  Argent  on  a  pale  wavy  sable,  three  fish  em- 
bowed  or,  are  the  arms  of  Swartzac  in  Switzerlaud. 

The  local  site  of  their  original  barony  is  indicated  in  the  arms 
of  the  Lords  Stourton  ;  sable,  a  bend  or,  between  six  fountains, 
allusive  of  the  six  springs  from  which  the  river  Stour  has  its 
source  near  Stourton,  on  the  borders  of  Wiltshire  and  Somerset- 
shire. In  the  chancel  of  that  church  are  several  monuments  of 
the  Stourton  family,  of  which  Sir  John,  the  first  peer,  was 
created  Lord  Stourton  by  King  Henry  VI.  in  1448.  A  similar 
origin  is  assigned  for  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Home  of  Nine- 
wells,  a  branch  of  that  of  Home  of  Tyningham  in  Haddington- 
shire ;  vert,  a  lion  rampant  argent,  within  u  border  or,  charged 
with  nine  fountains  or  wells. 

•  Palliot.  t  SibmadicT.  t  Ibid. 


86 


'UlE   HERALDRY  OF  FISH. 


Azure,  three  foniitains,  are  tli-  arms  of  the  family  of  Wells  of 
Hampshii-e.  The  arms  of  Twells,  a  pky  upon  the  name,  vert, 
on  a  fess  azure,  between  six  wells  proper,  a  hezant,  are  sculptured 
on  the  tombstone  of  Matthias  Twells  in  St.  INIargaret's  Church, 
Lynn,  of  whicli  place  he  was  alderman,  and  who  died  in  1676. 

A  curious  ancient  custom,  illustrative  of  the  importance  of 
wells,  is  observed  annually  at  Motcombe,  Dorsetshire,  where  are 
four  large  wells,  which  supply  the  town  of  Shaftesbury  with 
water.  If  a  dance  is  not  performed  on  the  Sunday  after  Holy- 
rood  day,  and  the  baili(f  of  Gillingham  have  not  his  due,  he 
stops  the  water  of  the  wells  of  Enmore. 

Lord  Wells  used  as  a  badge  a  bucket  with  the  chains,  in 
allusion  to  the  name,  as  water  bougets  were  used  by  the  Bour- 
chiers,  Earls  of  Eu  as  well  as  of  Essex. 

The  fountain  of  heraldry  should  be  depicted  by  a  circle,  barry 
wavy  argent  and  azure ;  but  some  modern  grants  lose  the  an- 
tique character  of  the  art,  as  in  the  arms  blazoned,  in  a  land- 
scape field  a  fountain,  tliereout  issuing  a  palm  tree,  which  were 
granted  to  the  family  of  Franco  of  St.  Katherine  Coleman,  Lon- 
don, 1760. 

A  whirlpool,  heraldlcaily  termed  a  gurges,  represents  the  rapid 
motion  of  water  in  a  circular  direction,  taking  up  all  the  field, 
as  in  the  arms  of  the  baronial  family  of  Gorges,  assumed  in  allu- 
sion to  the  name;  argent,  a  gurges  azure.  These  are  found 
among  the  qUarterings  borne  by  the  noble  family  of  Russell, 
showing  their  descent  from  that  of  Gorges.*  Longford  Castle,  in 
Wiltshire,  presenting  a  singular  specimen  of  architecture  in  its 
plan,  was  erected  on  the  banks  of  the  Avon  by  Sir  Thomas 
Gorges  in  1591;  he  died  in  1610,  and  a  monument  to  his 
memory  is  in  Salisbury  Cathetlral.  Sir  Edward  Gorges,  in 
1620,  was  created  Lord  Dundalk  by  King  James  I. 

The  banks  of  rivers,  and  the  heights  which  command  them, 
almost  exclusively  monopolize  the  beauty  and  compose  the  cha- 
racteristic features  of  every  country.  Great  cities  are  sehloni 
placed  but  on'  a  river ;  the  castle  commanded  the  passes,  and  the 
abbey  always  depended  on  the  contiguous  stream.  Argent,  a 
fess  wavy  gules,  cotti>ed  of  the  last,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Waterford  ;  that  of  I3rook.sby  bears,  barry  wavy  argent,  and 
sable,  a  canton  guk-s.     Brooksbank  of  EUaud,  in  Yorkshire,  bears 

r       *  Wiffou'a  Iliatoiiciil  Mcmnirs  of  the  IIouso  of  Russull,  1833. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  87 

azure,  two  bars  wavy  argent,  within  a  border  or ;  and,  argent, 
a  fess  wavy  azure,  within  a  border  sable,  are  the  arms  of  Brook- 
bank. 

The  arms  of  the  French  family  of  De  Viviers  exhibit  an  in- 
stance of  the  amies parlantes.  Vivier  is  a  fish-pond,  and  their 
arms  are,  argent,  three  fish-wells  vert,  filled  with  water  azure. 

Gules,  three  fountains  are  the  arms  of  Waterhouse  of  York- 
shire; and,  sable,  three  bars  wavy,  between  as  many  swans 
argent,  are  the  arms  of  "Waters  of  Lenham  in  Kent. 


THE   TENCH. 

The  Tench,  a  beautiful  fish,  with  small  smooth  scales  tinged 
with  golden  colour,  is  rarely  found  in  the  rivers  of  England,  but 
many  of  the  ponds  and  ornamental  waters  in  })loasure-grounds 
abound  with  tench.  Bridges,  in  his  History  of  Northampton- 
shire, says,  "  On  Mr.  Plowden's  estate,  who  is  lord  of  the  manor 
of  Aston,  were  two-and-fifty  fish-ponds  in  the  time  of  his  an- 
cestor Francis  Plowden,  who  used  to  boast  that  he  had  one 
weekly  to  drain  throughout  the  year."  Some  still  remain,  and 
there  are  vestiges  of  others  now  disused. 

In  no  other  instance  but  as  allusive  to  the  name,  is  this  fish 
used  in  heraldry  :  among  the  old  German  families  who  bear  fish 
is  that  of  Von  Tanques,  wliose  arms  are  three  tench.  Or,  three 
tench  hauriant  gules,  are  the  arras  of  the  French  family  of 
Tanche. 


Azure,  three  tench  naiant  in  pale  or,  were  the  arms  of 
Teuche,  a  Marshal  in  Fkuiders,  accordini,'-  to  Palliot.* 


Science  des  Armoiiies. 


THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 


The  tench,  used  in  Enghsh  heraldry  as  a  play  upon  the 
name,  forms  part  of  the  crest  of  Sir  Fisher  Tench  of  Low 
Leyton,  in  Essex,  descended  from  a  family  of  Shropshire,  and 
created  Baronet  by  King  George  I.  in  1715.  After  his  death 
the  title  became  extinct ;  but  his  sister  and  heiress  Elizabeth, 
married  Francis  Asty,  Esq.  of  Black  Notley,  whose  daughter 
and  heiress  Henrietta,  became  the  wife  of  Christopher  Wyvil  in 
1739,  and  at  his  death  the  estates  fell  to  Sir  Marmaduke  Asty 
Wyvil,  Bart.  Arms,  argent,  on  a  chevron,  between  three  lions' 
heads  erased  gules,  a  cross  crosslet  or  ;  for  Tench :  quartering 
azure,  a  fess  counter  embattled  between  three  dolphins  embowed 
or ;  for  Fisher  :  crest,  an  arm  vested  gules,  turned  up  argent, 
grasping  a  tench  in  the  hand. 


Heraldry  affords  modes  of  Illustration  which  are  capable  of 
infinite  variety  ;  and  by  the  French,  our  prototypes  in  the  art, 
every  incident,  or  singular  tradition  susceptible  of  poetical  em- 
bellishment, or  capable  of  picturesque  representation,  was  adopted 
in  their  plan  of  armorial  composition.  The  following  instance 
may  be  taken  as  aftbrding  some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  their 
admiration  of  annes  i>aiiantcs  Avas  carried. 

The  word  souci  signifies  equally  marigold,  and  care  or  anxiety. 
Three  marigolds  are  borne  by  the  family  of  Lemaitre,  azure^  trois 
soucis  (Tor,  arms  assumed  in  allusion  to  the  proverb,  Si  hs  vahfs 
ont  les  peines,  le  onaiti-e  a  les  soucis,  if  the  Aassals  have  their  la- 
bour,  the  lord  ha*   his   anxiety.      One   of  this  ancient  family, 


THE  HEEALDRY  OF    FISH.  89 

Giles  Lemaitre,  was  premier  president  of  the  parliament  of  Paris 
in  1551. 

Punning  in  the  spirit  of  the  age  was  even  introduced  into 
epitaphs,  as  in  the  distich  of  Ai'iostoon  tlie  Marciiese  di  Peseara, 
who  commanded  the  armies  of  Charles  V,  in  Italy  : 


Piscator  maximus  file  ! 


Nimquid  et  hie  pisoes  copit  ?  non  :  ergo  quid  ?  Urbes. 

The  Marchese  was  husband  of  the  eminently  gifted  Vittoria 
Colonna,  and  died  soon  after  he  had  won  the  memorable  battle 
of  Pa  via  where  Francis  I.  was  taken  prisoner. 


THE   BREAM. 

Bream  are  found  in  almost  all  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  Europe 
as  far  northward  as  Norway.  The  rivers  Trent  and  Medway  are 
noted  for  this  particular  fish,  which  is  very  broad  in  its  form,  and 
has  large  scales.     The  sprightly  Waller  notices  it  as 

-  "A  broad  bream  to  please  some  curious  taste." 

On  the  Continent  this  fish  is  in  high  request ;  and  "  He  that 
hath  bream  in  his  pond  may  bid  his  friend  welcome,"  is  a  proverb 
quoted  by  Isaak  Walton. 

Azure,  three  bream  or,  are  the  punning  arms  of  Breame,  an 
Essex  family  of  some  antiquity  in  that  county. 


After  the  dissolution  of  the  Cistercian  Abbey  at  Stratford, 
King  Ilt'iiry  VIII.  grauted  the  manor  of  East  Ham,  part  of  the 
niouastical  estate,  to  Richard  Breanic,  Es«|.  who  died  in  154G, 
leaving  a  sou  Edward,  %\hoso  heir,  on  his  decease  in  1558,  was 


90 


THE  HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 


his  brother  Arthur,  whose  son  and  successor,  Giles  Breame,  Esq. 
on  his  ck^ath  in  1G21,  left  part  of  his  estate  for  the  foundation 
and  endowment  of  almshouses  and  other  charitable  purposes. 
A  monument  to  his  memory  is  in  the  chancel  of  East  Ham 
church. 

Gules,  three  bream  hauriant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  De  la 
Mare  the  name  of  an  ancient  family,  which  held  Fisherton  on  the 
banks  of  the  Avon  in  Wiltshire. 

Geflfrey  De  la  Mare,  one  of  the  early  abbots  of  Peterborough, 
bore  for  arms,  azm-e,  three  bream  bend^ise  or. 


In  Warburf  on''s  list  of  the  arms  of  the  gentry  of  Middlesex 
in  1749,  are  those  of  William  Obreen,  Esq.  of  Tottenham,  of 
foreign  extraction:  per  fess,  azure  and  vert,  in  chief  an  armed 
knight  on  horseback  in  full  career  or,  in  base  a  fish  naiant  of 
the  third,  on  waves  of  the  first.  The  Somerset  herald  has  not 
described  the  particular  species  of  this  fish,  which  doubtless  was 
intended  for  a  bream  in  allusion  to  the  name.  The  Earl  Mar- 
shal expressly  commanded  Warburton  to  prove  satisfactorily  the 
right  of  each  person  to  the  arms  engraved  on  his  map  of  Mid- 
dlesex, to  the  Garter  King  of  Arms ;  he  then  printed  his  autho- 
rities for  all  the  arms,  rather  than  submit  entirely  to  the  arbi- 
tration of  one  '•  so  notoriously  remarkable  for  kno^\'ing  nothing 
at  all  of  the  matter."  *     This  severe  rebulce  referred  to  Anstis, 

•  Preface,  page  2,  of  LouJou  ajid  MiJdlosex  Illusa-atoJ,'ly  Jobi  Warburton,  Somer- 
set Herald,  F.R.S. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF   FISH. 


91 


the  son  of  the  ceieLrateU  <>!irtcT  King  of  Arms  mentioned  by 
Prior. 

Coronets  we  owe  to  croiisma 

And  favour  to  a  court's  affection. 
By  nature  we  are  Adam's  sons. 

And  EOU3  of  Anstis  by  election. 


•        THE   CHUB. 

This  fish   is  very  plentiful   in  the   Wye,   and  the  rivers  of 
Wales,  and 

The  Chub,  of  all  fish  in  the  silver  Trent, 
Invites  the  angler  to  the  tournament. 


is  a  remark  of  Captain  Richard  Franck  in  his  "  Northern  Me- 
moirs." It  is  also  found  in  the  Thames  and  many  of  the  great 
rivers  of  England.  The  chub  derives  its  name  from  its  form,  and 
is  called  a  skelly  in  the  North  on  account  of  its  large  scales.  The 
scales  offish,  composed  of  separate  leaves  placed  above  each  other 
in  successive  layers,  probably  gave  the  idea  of  the  scaled  cuirass 
as  defensive  armour.  Another  name  for  the  chub  is  chevin, 
derived  from  the  French  chef,  the  fish  having  a  large  head. 

Vert,  three  chub  fish  hauriant  sable,  are  the  arms  of  Chobb ; 
and,  gules,  on  a  che-vrou  between  three  chub  fish  argent,  three 
shovellers  sable.  On  a  chief  dancctte  of  the  second  three  escallops 
of  the  first,  are  the  arms  of  Chobbe,  one  of  the  quarterings  borne 
by  Lord  Dormer  of  Wenge,  and  copied  from  a  pedigree  in  his 
lordship''s  possession. 


The  Dormer  family,  originally  of  Normandy,  were  seated  at 
West  Wycombe,  in  JJuckiughani.'^liirt',  at  a  very  early  period. 
GeliVey  Dormer,  about  liiO,  married  Eleanor,  the  daughter  and 


92  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

lielre^^s  of  Thomas  Chobbe,  At  the  dissolution  of  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Albans,  the  Dormers  obtained  the  manor  of  Weuge  or  Wing, 
and  held  Ilmer,  also  in  Buckinghamshire,  by  tenure  of  the  ser- 
vice of  Marshal  of  the  King's  Falcons ;  whence  are  derived 
the  supporters  to  their  arms,  two  falcons ;  and  their  crest,  a  hand 
gloved,  bearing  a  falcon  on  the  fist,  in  allusion  to  the  office, 
formerly  of  considerable  importance,  when 

Barons  of  old,  and  Princes  high 
Lov'd  hawking  as  their  lives. 


THE   ROACH. 

Roach  are  abundant  in  almost  all  the  rivers  of  Europe. 
"  Unwary  roach  the  sandy  bottoms  choose,*"'  is  expressiv^e  of  the 
simplicity  of  this  fish,  which  is  termed  the  water-sheep.     Swift 

says, 

If  a  gudgeon  meet  a  roach 

He  dare  not  venture  to  approach. 

This  fish  in  old  books  of  angling  is  named  roche,  and  is  of  the 
highest  antiquity  as  a  charge  in  heraldry,  where  it  is  used  by 
those  families  whose  appellation  De  la  Eoche  arose  from  their 
rocky  ten-itory.  The  phrase  "  sound  as  a  roach,""  is  derived 
from  familiarity  with  the  legend  of  St.  Roche,  whose  media- 
tion was  implored  by  persons  afflicted  with  the  plague,  and  a  be- 
lief which  existed  that  the  miraculous  intercession  of  St.  Roche 
could  make  all  who  solicited  his  aid  as  "  sound "'"'  as  himself 
The  Italian  proverb,  "  E  sano  com.e  il  pesce,"  connecting  the  idea 
of  health  with  a  fish,  has  been  translated  ''sound  as  a  roach;"" 
but  the  naturalist,  who  is  acquainted  with  the  particular  species, 
will  not  admit  the  truth  of  the  po[)ular  idea. 

Impressions  of  seals  used  during  the  lifetime  of  the  persons  to 
whom  they  belonged,  are  among  the  best  authorities  for  armorial 
bearings ;  these  evidences  deserve  'an  attentive  inspection,  and 
supply  an  accurate  test  for  determining  the  particular  ensigns 
borne  at  a  certain  period,  when  appended  to  early  deeds  and 
charters  of  acknowledged  authenticity.  An  instance  of  the  he- 
raldic ap[)licatioa  of  the  roach  is  found  ou  the  seal  used  by 
Thomas  Lord  Dc  La  lioche,  and  affixed  to  the  Uarous  Letter  to 


THE    tiERALDRY   OF    FISH.  9S 

Pope  Boniface  VIII.  respecting  the  sovoreij^ty  of  Scotland 
in  the  year  1301,  one  of  the  records  preserved  in  the  Chapter- 
house at  Westminster.* 


Gules,  three  roach  naiant  in  pale  arg^ent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  De  La  Roche,  who  derived  their  name  from  an  estate 
situated  on  the  verge  of  St.  I>ride's  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Pem- 
brokeshire. The  remains  of  lioche  Castle,  founded  by  Adam 
De  La  Roche,  about  the  year  1200,  stand  upon  a  very  remark- 
able insulated  rock  of  considerable  hei,2fht,  and  exhibit  evidences 
of  its  former  strength.  Adam  De  La  lioche,  also  founder  of  the 
Benedictine  Priory  of  Pwll,  near  Milford  Haven,  was  buried  in 
the  church  of  Llangwm,  on  the  banks  of  the  Cleddy,  where  his 
monument  yet  remains. 

The  form  of  the  shield,  and  the  motto  used  upon  seals,  are 
both  supposed  to  have  depended  upon  the  taste  of  the  person  to 
whom  they  belonged  rather  than  upon  any  established  principle. 
The  motto  used  by  the  Roche  family  is  one  of  those  punning 
allusions  to  the  name  which  at  an  early  period  were  very  com- 
mon, "  Dieu  est  ma  Roche ;"  and  the  crest,  having  the  same 
mtent,  is  a  rock.  The  usage  of  crests  upon  helmets  in  the  camp, 
may  have  been  confined  to  persons  of  the  highest  rank ; 
but  at  a  very  early  period  it  certainly  was  not  unusual  upon 
seals  to  place  figures  of  animals  on  the  top  of  the  shield,  in  the 
manner  of  crests ;   and  supporters  to  the  escutcheon   were  not 

*  A  document  well  known  to  the  antiquary  by  the  excellent  commentary  on  the  seals 
prefixed  to  it  by  Sir  Harris  Nicoljia  in  the  Archxologia,  vol.  xxi. 


94 


THE  HERAI-DRY   OF    FISH. 


improbaMy  introduced  on  the  seal^  vnth  tho  same  intention, 
merely  as  an  ornament,  without  being  indicative  of  superior 
rank. 

The  great  possessions  of  the  Lords  of  Roche  Castle,  in  the 
county  of  Pembroke,  fell  at  length  to  coheiresses.  Ellen,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  De  La  Roche,  married  Edmund 
Lord  Ferrers  of  Chartley,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI,  whose  lineal 
representative  is  the  Marquess  Tov/nshend, 

Elizabeth,  the  Second  daxighter,  married  Sir  George  Longue- 
ville  of  Little  Billing,  in  Northamptonshire,  the  Ancestor  of  the 
Lords  Grey  De  Ruthin  and  the  discounts  Longueville,  whose 
representative  is  the  Marchioness  of  Hastings,  Lady  Grey  de  Ru- 
thin by  descent.  The  arms  of  Roche,  formerly  in  one  of  the 
windows  of  St.  David's  Cathedral,  are  described  by  Browne. 
WiUis  as  those  of  an  ancient  and  considerable  family  of  Pem- 
brokeshire.* 

Sir  John  Dyve  of  Broraham,  in  Bedfordshire,  the  father  of  Sir 
Lewis  Dyve,  a  distinguished  royalist,  was  descended  from  the 
Lords  De  La  Roche,  through  the  family  of  Longueville :  he  died 
in  1608,  and  the  arms  upon  his  monument  in  Bromham  church 
show  his  alhances  by  the  quarterings,  1,  Dp-e ;  2,  Bray;  3, 
Quinton  ;  4,  Seywell ,  5,  Longueville ;  6,  Roche  ;  7,  Wylde  ; 
8,  Ragon;  9,  Widvile ;  10,  Hastings;  11,  Aprice. 

The  representation  of  the  mm-der  of  St.  Thomas  a  Becket, 
here  copied  from  the  official  seal  of  Thomas  Arundel  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  in  the  reign  of  Richard  II,  shov/s  the  knight  about 


to  slay  the  mart}T,  bearing  a  !<hield   charged  with  three  naiant 
fish,  as  bonie  by  the  Roche  family.f     The  names  of  the  four 

♦  Survey  of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  David's,  1715,  p.  8G. 

t  The  whole  seal  is  engraved  in  the  Archujoloiria,  vol.  xxvi. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF  FISH.  95 

knights  recorded  in  history  as  the  murderers  of  Archbishop 
Becket,  are  Fitz-Urse,  Tracy,  Morvile,  and  Brito ;  and  al- 
though the  subject  has  been  often  represented,  no  allusion  to 
one  of  the  Roche  family  as  concerned  in  the  Archbishop's  death 
is  known. 

The  eccentric  Sir  Boyle  Roche  was  a  scion  of  a  family  of  the 
'name  of  Roche,  Lords  of  Fermoy  in  Ireland,  who  were  ennobled 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  II. 

Gules,  three  roach  naiant  or,  within  a  border  engrailed  ar* 
gent ;  crest,  on  a  rock  a  heron  grasping  a  roach  in  its  dexter 
claw,  are  the  armorial  ensigns  of  Sir  David  Roche  of  Carass,  in 
the  county  of  Limerick,  and  of  Barnitick  in  the  county  of  Clare, 
who  was  created  Baronet  28  June  18.38,  one  of  the  titles  incident 
to  the  coronation  of  her  present  Majesty. 

Sable,  three  roach  naiant  in  pale  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  De  La  Roche  of  Herefordshire. 

Azure,  three  roach  naiant  argent,  within  a  border  or,  were  the 
arms  of  Walter  Roche  of  Broniliam,  in  AV^iltshire,  whose  daugh- 
ter Edith  married  Harry  Tropenell  of  Chalfield :  these  are 
sculptured  on  the  stone  screen  of  the  Tropenell  chapel  in  the 
parish  church. 


The  arms  of  Tropenell,  gules,  a  fess  engrailed  ermine,  between 
three  griffins""  heads  erased  argent,  in  several  parts  of  the  house 
at  Chalfield,  are  accompanied  by  a  yoke  such  as  was  used  for 
oxen,'  the  family  badge,  and  the  motto  "■  Le  jougtyra  bellemont," 
which  may  be  rendered.  The  yoke  drew  well,  or,  The  yoke  sat 
lightly,  expressive  either  of  the  tenure  under  which  the  estate 
was  held,  or  of  the  lord  of  the  manor's  devotion  to  agricultural 
pursuits.     There  are  few  more  interesting  examples  of  domestic 


96 


THE   HERALDRY   OF   FISIf. 


architocture  In  tin;  klng-dom  than  Oluilfiekl  House,  which  was 
built  by  Thomas  l^ropenell  in  llic  reiq^i  of  Henry  VI.* 

Sable,  three  roach  naiant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  De  Roche 
in  Cornwall,  a  fimily  which  may  be  traced  from  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, and  who  derived  tlicir  name  from  the  natural  situation  of 
their  possessions  at  Koche,  where  a  lofty  group  of  craggy  rocks, 
rising  out  of  an  open  heath,  forms  a  conspicuous  and  striking 
object  to  the  surrounding  country.  Eva,  the  daughter  and 
heiress  of  Sir  Richaid  De  Roche,  married  Sir  Ralph  Arundel), 
who  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in  1268,  and  was  the  ancestor 
of  the  Lords  AruudeU  of  Ti-erice,  and  the  Lords  Arundell  of 
Wardour  ;  from  him  W.  A.  H.  Arundell,  Esq.  of  Lifton  Park, 
Sheriff  of  Devonshire  in  1841,  is  also  descended. 

Another  heiress  of  the  family  of  De  Roche  married  Sir  William 
Blundell  about  13o7,  who  afterwards  assumed  the  name  and 
arms  of  Roche,  His  family  continued  in  possession  of  the  estate 
till  the  reign  of  Henry  VIH,  when  it  terminated  in  four  co- 
heiresses, tliree  of  whom  married  into  the  families  of  Fortescue, 
Penkivil,  and  13osca^v'en.  Roche,  with  its  picturesque  crags,  is 
now  the  property  of  the  Earl  of  Falmouth,  who  quarters  the 
arms  of  Roche  with  those  of  Boscawen  as  typical  of  this  descent. 

The  family  of  Roach  of  Lezant,  near  Launceston,  in  Corn- 
wall, and  of  Wellcombe,  in  Devonshire,  bears  for  arms,  azure, 
three  roach  naiant  in  pale  argent. 

Or,  a  bull  passant  gades,  between  three  roach  hauriant  proper, 
a  chief  chcquy  or   and  azure,   were  the  arms  of  Sir   William 


Roche,  son  of  John  Roche  of  Wickersley,   near  Rotherham  in 
Yorkshire,  and  Lord  Mavor  of  London  in  1")4(). 


•  An  account  of  this  ancient  residence  was  printed  by  T.  L.  Walker  in  18.17. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


97 


Argent,  on  a  bend  sable  three  roach  of  the  field,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Huyshe  of  Sand,  in  Devonshire  ;  and  were  as- 
sumed in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  by  Oliver  Huyshe  of  Doni- 
ford,  in  Somersetshire,  after  his  marriage  with  the  daughter  and 
heiress  of  Simon  Eoehe. 


This  family  claim  descent  from  the  Wentworths  of  Buckin"-, 
n.i  Essex,  who  through  the  Spencers  were  descended  from  Joan 
of  Acres,  the  daughter  of  King  Edivard  I.  llichard  Huyshe, 
who  lived  in  the  reign  of  James  I,  and  was  distinguished  for  be- 
nevolence, founded  the  hosi)ital  at  Taunton,  which  bears  his 
arms  on  the  porch.  Alexandt.-r  Huyshe,  eminent  in  literature, 
assisted  Bishop  Walton  in  the  publication  of  the  celebrated  Po- 
lyglott  Bible  in  1657. 

One  of  the  circumstances  incident  to  the  revival  of  literature 
was  the  foundation  of  the  Academy  of  Florence,  which  originated 
from  a  society  fancifully  termed  "  The  Humides,"  each  member 
being  known  in  the  community  by  the  name  of  some  particular 
fish,  or  by  some  appellation  relative  to  water.  Crazzini,  a  poet 
of  some  eminence,  the  projector  of  the  society,  called  himself 
La  Lasca,  the  roach ;  other  members  were  distinguished  by  the 
name  of  some  piscatorial  occupation. 


98 


THE    HErcALDRY   OF    FISH. 


A  swan,  in  pride,  devourinv:'  p..  perch,  i;^  the  crest  of  Sparke,  a 
Cheshire  fmnily  ;  and  a  swan  devoaring-  a  perch  is  also  the  crest 
borne  by  the  fanii]  j  of  Loch  of  Drylav.',  in  the  county  of  Edin- 
burgh. The  substitution  of  a  roach  wonkl  better  agree  with  the 
natural  character  of  tlie  swan,  whose  food  consists  chiefly  of  the 
various  grasses,  with  the  seeds  and  roots  of  plants,  growing  on 
the  margin  of  the  water.  A  swan  has  been  known  to  seize  a 
roach,  but  the  prickly  fins  of  the  perch  might  possibly  prove  its 
destruction. 

Gules,  a  che\T0U  engrailed  between  three  roach  naiant  argent, 
on  a  chief  of  the  second,  three  herons  sable,  billed  and  mcmbored 
gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Hobbs  of  Middlesex,  which 
bears  for  crest  a  demi  heron  volant  sable,  billed  gules,  holding  in 
the  bill  a  fish  argent.  Herons  were  royal  game  in  the  days  of 
falconry.  The  bill  is  strong  and  very  sharp,  and  when  seeking 
its  food  on  the  banks  of  rivers  this  bird  seizes  the  fish  with  great 
dexterity.  • 

The  crest  of  the  family  of  Beckford,  a  herons  head  erased  or, 
gorged  with  a  collar  flory  gules,  in  the  beak  a  fish  argent,  is  one 
of  those  punning  allusions  to  the  name,  Bee  fort,  shown  to  be 
frequent  in  heraldry. 


This  family  is  believed  to  derive  its  name  from  the  passage  of 
a  beck  or  stream  dividing  the  counties  of  \\^:>rce>,ter  and  Glou- 
cester near  Tewkesbury.  Horace  William  ]jeckfurd  succeeded  as 
third  Lord  Rivers  in  1828  ;  the  present  peer,  his  son,  has  assumed 
the  name  of  Pitt  Ivivers. 

A  stork,  with  a  fish  in  its  bill,  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Bat- 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


99 


tic  of  Wadsn-ortli,  near  Halifax  in  Yorkshire.     The  stork,  abun- 
dant in  Holland  and  France,  is  not  common  in  England, 

Dace  and  roach  are  very  similar  in  a})pearanee,  but  the  former 
is  comparatively  more  local  than  the  roach.  Dace  do  not  occur 
in  heraldry,  yet  being  also  known  by  the  name  of  Dare,  it  is 
possible  they  may  be  typified  in  the  arms  of  Dare  of  Norfolk ; 
sable,  a  chevron  argent  between  three  «lolphins  or,  the  general 
emblem  of  sea  and  river  fish  being  here  used. 


THE   MINNOW. 

Most  of  the  brooks  and  rivers  of  England  produce  minnows, 
beautiful  little  fish,  swimming  in  shoals  on  the  gravelly  bottom 
of  the  stream  :  they  are  borne  in  arms  by  the  family  of  Picton, 
Argent,  three  minnows,  or  pinks,  in  pale  gules. 


It  may  be  supposed  when  a  number  of  fish  appear  as  a  charge, 
those  of  a  small  size  are  intended,  aS  in  the  arms  of  Coupir  : 
azure,  a  bend  engrailed  between  six  fishes  liauriant  argent. 
Minnows  are  so  named  in  reference  to  their  small  size ;  and  on 
account  of  the  bright  red  colour  that  pervades  the  under  parts  of 
the  fish,  they  are  called  pinks,  a  name  by  which  the  salmon  of 
the  first  year  are  also  known. 

The  family  of  Fisher  of  Stafi"or<l.  had  a  grant  of  arms  in  the 
reign  of  James  I  :  or,  a  kingfisher  j)roper  ;  the  crest,  a  king- 
fishej  with  a  fish  in  its  beak. 

This  splendid  little  bird,  which  is  found  in  almost  every  part 
of  the  globe,  sits  near  the  margin  of  a  streamlet  on  the  watch  for 
the  minnow,  or  the  smaller  species  of  HsIj,  iluttering  its  wings, 
and  exposing  its  brilliant  plumage  to  the  sun  ;  or,  hovering  in 
the  air,  darts  unerringly  on  the  fish,  and  sometimes  remains  for 


100  THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

several  seconds  iinrlcr  the  water  before  it  has  gaineil  the  ohject  of 
its  pursuit.  The  quantity  of  minnows  that  a  brood  of  young- 
kingfishers  will  consume  is  quite  extraordinary,*  and  this  fish 
is,  without  doubt,  intended  in  the  crest  of  Fisher. 


It  is  to  the  brilliancy  of  its  colours  that  this  little  bird  is  in- 
debted for  the  means  of  alluring  its  prey  ;  the  fish,  attracted 
by  the  brightness  and  splendour  of  its  appearance,  are  detained 
whilst  the  wily  bird  darts  upon  them.  From  the  similarity  of 
the  means  used,  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  mode  of  taking 
fish  by  torchlight  may  have  originated  from  the  practice  of  the 
kingfisher. 

Poets  cherish  the  idea  of  perfect  safety  which  the  mariner 
attaches  to  the  halcyon  days  :  it  is  expressed  in  one  of  Cowper's 
similes : 


As  calm  as  the  flood 


WTien  the  peace-loving  halcyon  deposits  her  brood. 

"When  the  kingfisher  is  engaged  in  hatching  her  young,  the  sea 
is  believed  to  remain  so  calm  that  the  sailor  ventures  his  bark 
on  the  main  with  the  happy  certainty  of  not  being  exposed  to  a 
storm.     Thus  an  interest  is  attached  to 

Halcyons,  of  all  the  birds  that  haiuit  the  main. 
Most  lov'd  and  honored  by  the  Nereid  train.t 


THE    LOACH. 

This  fish,  nearly  the  colour  of  the  gudgeon,  is  wattled  like  the 
barbel,  and  is  to  be  found  in  many  rivulets;  but  the  upper  Avon, 

*  YarrcU's  History  of  Diitish  Birds. 

+  Fawkcs's  TransLitiuu  of  Thcovritus,  seveutlx  IdyL 


THE   HERALDRY   OF   FISH.  101 

which  waters  the  plrtins  of  Wiltshire,  is  more  celebrated  for  its 
loach  than  other  strearas.  On  the  hanks  of  this  river,  a  Httle 
below  Amesbury,  is  Durneford ;  and  it  appears  most  probable 
that  the  particular  produce  of  the  river  was  alluded  to  in  the 
arms  of  Walter  de  Durneford,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III,  azure, 
three  fish  naiant  in  pale  argent. 


A  family  of  the  name  of  Dernford  bear,  azure,  two  fish  hauri- 
ant  or  ;  and  another  Dernford,  azure,  three  fish,  the  tails  of  two 
in  chief,  and  the  head  of  one  in  base  or,  all  meeting  in  the  centre 
of  the  shield  or  nombril  point. 

The  introduction  of  surnames  into  France  and  England  was 
nearly  coeval ;  that  is,  aljout  the  tenth  or  eleventh  century. 
The  assumption  was  at  first  confined  to  the  higher  orders  of 
society  ;  as  a  distinction 

It  was  not  framed  for  village  churls. 
But  for  high  dames  and  mighty  earls. 

The  most  customary  source  whence  names  were  derived  seems 
to  have  been  from  manors,  the  lords  of  which  having  originally 
inserted  the  preposition  de  between  their  christian  name  and 
local  denomination,  by  degrees  sunk  it,  thus  forming  the  surnames 
of  the  present  day.  The  prevalence  of  this  class  of  names  is 
accounted  for  from  the  vassals  and  dependants  following  the 
example  of  their  lords,  and  styling  themselves  of  the  castle, 
town,  or  village  wherein  they  resided.  Thus  arbitrarily  assumed, 
surnames  were  changed  and  altered  at  the  pleasure  of  the  bearer; 
and  they  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  been  pernKincntly  settled 
in  this  country  mitil  the  era  of  the  Keforniatiou.* 

•  Remarks  ou  the  Auii<iuity  of  Suriiaiuts,  hy  J.  II.  MarkLiud,  E5>i.  F.;?.A.  iii  Archa;- 
ologia,  voL  xviiL  lu  the  UoU  of  Ikiltlc  Abbey,  the  ;ulJitiuii  to  tlic  (.hristiiia  name  is 
Used. 


102 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


IV. 

'Ett  (EiaWf  (BmmxH,  iBuUet,  antr  ©crcj* 

The  Chabot  of  heraldry  is  a  species  of  billhead  found  in  almost 
all  the  fresh-water  streams  of  Europe  from  Italy  to  Sweden. 
The  fish  is  remarkable  for  the  large  size  of  its  head,  and  is  also 
known  by  the  name  of  the  miller  s  thumb,  which  being  used  as  the 
gauge  of  the  produce  of  the  mill  and  to  test  the  quality  of  the 
flour,  incessant  action  produces  a  form  resembhng  the  flattened 
head  of  this  fish.  The  chabot  is  always  borne  in  pale,  the  head 
being  in  chief,  and  the  back  of  the  fish  sho'?\Ti. 

Or,  three  chabots  gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  ancient  house  of 
Chabot. 


r^. 


Philip  Chabot,  Count  of  Newblanch,  and  Lord  Admiral  of 
France,  was  elected  a  Knight  of  the  Garter  at  Calais,  where  a 
chapter  was  held  during  a  second  interview  between  King  Henry 
VIII.  and  Francis  I.  in  loG2.  Henry,  accumpauied  by  the  Lady 
Anne  Boleyn,  who  had  been  created  Marchioness  of  Pembroke, 
landed  at  Calais  on  the  11th  of  Octobtr,  where  he  was  honour- 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  103 

ably  received  with  a  pvoces«iioQ  ;  and  on  the  20th  of  the  same 
month  the  two  kings  met  in  a  valley  near  Sandyfield,  between 
Calais  and  Boulogne.  The  ostensible  design  of  this  interview 
was  to  concert  measures  for  a  joint  expedition  against  the  Turks  ; 
but  the  real  intention  was,  by  alarming  tlie  Pope  and  the  Em- 
peror, to  accelerate  King  Henry's  divorce.* 

Philip,  Count  of  Newblanch,  was  afterwards  installed,  18  May 
1533,  by  proxy,  in  the  stall  formerly  occupied  by  Sir  Henry 
Guldeford,  whose  collar  was.  by  the  King's  coinmaud,  given  to 
the  Earl  of  Suffolk,  in  exchange  for  that  borrowed  by  the  King 
from  the  Earl  at  Calais,  which  was  delivered  to  Sir  Philip  Cha- 
bot,  the  Admiral  of  France,  j" 

Lady  Isabella  Charlotte  Fitz-Gerald,  the  daughter  of  William 
Robert  Duke  of  Leinster,  married  in  1»09  Major-General  Louis 
William  Viscount  de  Chabot,  K.C.H.  the  son  of  the  Count  de 
Jarnac,  who  bears  the  same  arms :  or,  three  chabots  gides. 

Azure,  tliree  chabots  or,  scaled  and  shaded  of  the  Held,  with  a 
crescent  in  cliief  of  the  second,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Chabot  au  Maine ;  ^  and  that  of  llouxel  of  Britany  bears, 
azure,  three  chabots  argent. 


THE   GURNARD. 

This  fish,  common  on  the  English  coast.  Is  borne  in  heraldry 
by  an  ancient  family  of  the  name  of  Gornay :  azure,  a  bend  or, 
between  three  gurnards  naiant  argent. 

There  are  several  species,  grey,  red,  and  the  [)iper,  Avhich  last 
is  dlstingm'shed  by  the  large  size  of  the  head,  and  on  this  account 
the  species  is  named  bull-head.  The  peculiar  quaintness  of 
heraldic  composition  is  not  m  any  instance  more  forcibly  shown 
than  in  the  arms  of  Gorney,  where,  in  extension  of  the  pun,  a 
.  bulFs  head  is  used  as  a  charge,  in  accordance  with  the  common 
name  of  the  gurnard.  This  figurative  delineation  of  the  name 
exhibits  a  whimsical  turn  of  thought  perfectly  in  unison  with 
the  literary  liablts  of  the  Elizabethan  period,  where  the  conceit 
is  often  difficult  to  discover  through  the  veil   that  is  cast  over  it. 

•  Original  Letters,  lC-24,  vol.  ii.  p.  •2-2.  The  notes  l-y  Sir  Ilcnrj- Ellis,  as  well  .is 
the  Letters  themselves,  are  f>>und  to  throw  new  li;,'ht  on  various  passjigos  of  English 
historj'. 

t  Aubtla's  Rc'-ister  of  the  Oalcr  of  the  Gaiter.  t  PuUiot. 


104  THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

Although  the  heraldic  devices  are  perfectly  snsceptible  of  alle- 
gorical illustnition,  yet,  by  too  miuute  inquiry  into  the  details, 
the  deficiency  of  correct  taste  sometimes  found,  will  dissolve  the 
charm  which  captivates ;  and  it  nmst  he  admitted  that  the  more^ 
fanciful  conceptions  are  not  of  a  nature  to  be  closely  scrutinized. 

Some  branches  of  the  family  of  Gorney  bear  for  arms,  sable, 
three  bulls'  heads  erased  argent,  a  play  upon  the  common  name 
of  the  fish,  which  is  varied  in  other  branches  of  the  same  family, 
who  bear,  sable,  a  chevron  between  three  bulls''  heads  cabossed 
or,  the  heads  in  this  instance  being  full-faced  without  any  part 
of  the  neck  being  visible.  Bull  is  commonly  used  to  express 
the  large  comparative  size  of  any  species,  as  the  bull-trout  of 
Northumberland  are  said  by  Walton  to  be  larger  than  any 
found  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

The  family  of  Gurney  of  Norwich  bears  for  arms,  argent,  a 
cross  engrailed  gules  ;  but  their  crest  exhibits  the  usual  play 
upon  the  name,  a  gurnard  erect  upon  a  chapeau. 


John  Gurucy  of  that  city,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  11,  was  the 
intimate  friend  and  ^^^ppurter' of  George  Fox,  the  founder  of  the 
society  of  Quakers.  His  descendant,  Hud;;on  Gurney,  Esq.  F.E.S. 
Vice-President  of  the  Society  of  Antitjuaries,  is  author  of  a 
poetical  translation  of  Apuleius's  Fable  of  Cupid  and  Psyche  : 
his  observations  on  the  Bayeux  Tapestry  are  also  printed  in  the 
Archteologia. 

In  Cornwall  the  gxirnard  is  known  as  the  tub  fish,  and  is 
borne  in  heraldry  by  the  family  of  Tubbe  of  Trengofte,  in  the 
parish  of  "Warleggan,  near  IJudniin  :  argent,  a  chevron  sable, 
between  three  tub  fish  hauriunt  gules  :  ore?t,  an  otter  passant, 
in  his  mouth  a  tub  (isih  ;  granted  iu  1 ')71.  These  arms  are 
painted  iu  one  of  the  chambers  of  Court,  a  mansion  at  Lameatii, 


THE    HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 


105 


near  Fowej,  formrrly  tie  seat  of  the  family  of  Grylls  ;  they  are 
also  displayed  amongst  the  benefactors  of  St.  JVeot's  church, 
celebrated  for  the  profusion  and  beauty  of  its  stained  glass. 


1  l'l/,\I 


\3ySMsi\" 


The  w-iudows  of  this  church  underwent  a  complete  restoration 
at  the  expence  of  the  Rev.  Gervase  T.  Grylls,  of  Helston,  in  1829. 
One  contains  the  histor}^  of  St.  Neot,  the  pious  sacristan  of  Glas- 
tonbury Abbey,  in  twelve  compartments ;  perhaps  the  only  in- 
stance of  the  legend  of  a  local  saint  so  represented,  and  one  of 
the  most  splendid  specimens  of  stained  glass  in  the  kingdom. 

The  hermifs  fish-pond,  now  remaining  in  the  valley  near  his 
cell,  afforded  materials  for  one  of  the  legendary  talcs  represented 
in  the  window.  In  this  pool  there  were  three  fishes,  of  Avliich 
Neot  had  Divine  permission  to  take  one,  and  only  one,  every  day, 
with  an  assurance  that  the  supply  should  never  be  diminished. 
Being  afflicted  with  a  severe  indispositi(jn,  his  disciple  Barius  one  . 
day  caught  two  fishes,  and  having  builed  one  and  broiled  the 
other,  placed  them  before  him :  "  What  hast  thou  done  V  ex- 
claimed xTeot ;  '•  lo,  the  favour  of  God  deserts  us;  go  instantly 
and' restore  these  fishes  to  the  water."  While  Barius  was  absent 
Neot  prostrated  liimself  in  earnest  prayer,  till  he  returned  with 
the  intelligence  that  the  fishes  were  disporting  in  the  pool. 
Barius  again  went  and  took  only  one  fish,  of  which  Neot  had  no 
sooner  tasted,  than  he  was  restored  to  perfect  health.* 


lliatory  of  Si.  Noot's,  iu  liuiiliiiydoiialuiv,  by  llic  Rev.  (J.  C.  GurLajii,  p.  3"2. 


106 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


THE   3IULLET. 

The  Mullet  of  English  lieraklry  is  not  the  far-famed  fish  so 
called,  but  a  bearinof  in  form  of  the  rowel  of  a  spur,  which  is  of 
very  ancient  and  general  adaptation.* 

In  France,  the  red  mullet,  a  fish  which  is  coSimou  in  the 
Mediterranean,  formed  a  charge  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Roujou  ;  argent,  a  rouget,  or  red  mullet,  in  pale.  The  arms  of 
the  family  of  Eaoul,  also  an  example  of  this  fish,  are,  azure,  a 
mullet,  with  four  annulets,  three  in  chief  and  one  in  base,  argent. 


It  is  evident  that  the  grey  mullet  is  the  fish  intended  to  be 
represented  in  some  British  crests  described  as  a  hawk  or  eagle 
preying  on  a  fish.  The  osprcy,  or  sea-eagle,  said  to  have  been 
formerly  trained  for  hawking  fish,  is  termed  the  mullet  hawk, 
and  on  this  account  the  bird  is  represented  with  a  ofrev  mullet  in 
its  claw  in  Mr.  Yarrell's  History  of  British  Birds. 

In  the  title-page  of  Mr.  L.  W.  Dillwyn's  valuable  contri- 
butions towards  a  History  of  Swansea,  1840,  is  an  engraving 
of  the  ancient  seal  of  the  corporation,  which  is  described  as  a 
castle  double  towered,  on  each  tower  a  banner,  above  on  a  shield 
an  eagle  rising  with  a  fi>h,  the  tail  end  in  its  mouth.  It  is,  how- 
ever, suspected  that  the  bird  on  the  seal  is  not  an  osprey,  but  a 
swan,  borne  in  allusion  to  the  name  of  the  town,  Swansea,  pun- 
ning heraldry  being  common  on  town  seals  and  in  the  arms  granted 
to  corporate  bodies. 


*  See  the  iiriiis  of  Fitz-J;ime6,  p.  10. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISK,  107 

The  crest  of  Moult,  a  fish  Daiant  azure,  spotted  or,  may  be 
intended  for  the  mullet,  or  perhaps  the  smolt,  a  young  salmon. 

Crest,  on  a  fish  a  sparrow-hawk,  borne  by  Levesque,  would 
have  been  better  designated  by  the  osprey. 

A  hawk  perching  on  a  fish  is  the  crest  of  Grandford  ;  and  that 
of  Edridge  is  a  hawk  on  its  prey. 


The  numerous  species  of  the  falcon  tribe  are  found  in  almost 
every  part  of  the  world,  from  the  frigid  to  the  torrid  zone. 
The  larger  birds  feed  on  fish,  and  seldom  devour  the  whole, 
but,  like  the  lions,  leave  the  fragments  to  other  animals. 

The  family  of  Hanbowe  bears  for  crest  an  eagle  with  wings 
expanded  and  inverted,  on  a  dolphin. 

The  heraldic  mullet  has  occasioned  much  disquisition  on  the 
origin  of  the  word,  supposed  to  be  derived  from  molette, 
and  French  heralds  admit  six  points  to  the  star  so  denomi- 
nated. In  the  earliest  rolls  of  arms  it  is  called  a  mole,  and  a 
molet,  whether  pierced  or  not ;  and  in  some  of  the  seals  *  at- 
tached to  the  Barons'  Letter,  the  bearing  is  represented  with  six 
points.  On  a  seal  of  William  Clinton  Earl  of  Huntingdon  in 
1387,  the  mullet  in  the  arms  has  the  same  number.  A  change 
in  the  form  from  six  to  five  points  seems  to  have  taken  place  in 
England  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century ;  and  it  is 
known  that  the  spur-rowel,  to  which  the  mullet  is  compared,  was 
never  of  five  points  before  the  time  of  King  Charles  I,  nor  indeed 
of  six  points  before  that  of  King  Henry  VI.  Previously  the 
spur  was  furnished  with  a  roudle,  or  little  wheel,  sometimes  ser- 
rated ;  facts  which  can  be  proved  by  reference  to  the  collection 

*  Souls  attacliL'tl  to  the  lottor  from  the  Bamns  of  En^'liiml  to  Popv  IJoiiifacc  VIII.  in 
the  year  13t)l,  engraved  by  order  of  the  Society  of  Anti.iuaries  iii  17-'^. 


108  THE    HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

of  ancient  armour  at  Goodrich  Court,  In  Herefordsliire,  the  seat 
of  Sir  Samuel  Meyrick.* 

The  Boke  of  St.  Alban'sf  calls  this  bearlug  macula,  whence 
it  has  been  supposed  to  represent  a  meteor  rather  than  a  spur- 
rowel.  Guillim  gives  another  derivation,  and  says,  "others 
think  that  heralds  have  borrowed  this  word  mullet  from  a  kind 
of  fish  so  called,  not  that  which  is  usually  known  by  that  name, 
but  another,  not  unlike  in  shape  to  the  figure  used  in  armoury, 
found  upon  the  sands  at  the  ebbing  of  the  sea,  and  called  a  five- 
finger,  but  anciently  known  by  the  name  of  mullet." 

The  sea-star  here  alluded  to,  is  mentioned  in  Bishop  Sprat's 
History  of  the  Royal  Society.:|:  It  is  said  that  the  Admiralty 
Court  laid  a  penalty  on  those  engaged  in  the  oyster  fishery  "  who 
do  not  tread  under  their  feet,  or  throw  upon  the  shore,  a  fish 
called  five-finger,  resembling  a  spur-rOwel,  because  that  fish  gets 
into  the  oyster  when  they  gape  and  sucks  them  out." 

Without  admitting  that  the  heraldic  charge  is  derived  from 
the  starfish,  which  it  appears  once  bore  the  name  of  mullet,  it 
may  not  be  Improper  to  mention  that  its  form  is  shown  in  the 
arms  of  the  noble  families  of  Douglas,  Vere,  St.  Jolm,  Ash- 
burnham,  Bonvile,  Sutherland,  and  in  the  arms  of  the  episcopal 
see  of  Bangor. 

A  work  on  Starfishes  was  published  by  John  Henry  Link, 
F.R.S.  a  naturalist  of  Leipsic,  in  173.3;  but  this  class  of  fish 
remained  little  known  in  England  :  recently  a  History  of  British 
Starfishes,  by  Mr.  E.  Forbes,  has  proved  of  extraordinary  in- 
terest by  his  mode  of  treating  the  subject.  In  this  valuable 
addition  to  Natural  History,  the  figure  of  the  Butthoru,  of  the 
genus  Asterias,  is  found  to  resemble  closely  the  uiidlet  of  English 
heraldry. 

*  Plate  LXXX.  of  the  engraved  illustrations  published  by  J.  Skelton  in  1830. 
t  Printed  in  \4li6.  *  Printed  in  1667. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  109 


THE   PERCH. 


The  Perch,  among  fish,  presents  the  greatest  perfection  of 
form  :  its  colours  arc  brilHant  and  striking,  and  it  is  second  only 
to  the  pike  in  boldness  and  voracity. 

There  is  scarcely  a  river  or  lake  of  any  extent  in  Great  Britain 
where  "the  bright  eyed  perch  with  fins  of  TvTian  dye,"  is  not 
abundant.  In  heraldry  the  perch  very  rarely  is  used.  One  of 
the  famihes  of  the  nam^-  of  Oldfield  bears  three  perches  as  an 
armorial  distinction. 

The  crest  representing  a  swan  devouring  a  perch  has  been 
shown  to  be  contrary  to  the  known  habits  of  that  bird  :  *  heralds 
are  generally  careful  enough  to  avoid  an  anomaly  in  their  de- 
signs, but  in  transcribing  the  blazon  from  a  painted  shield  the 
particular  description  of  fish  might  easily  be  mistaken. 

The  best  artists  have  not  always  been  employed,  but  it  is 
well  known  that,  both  in  execution  and  design,  considerable 
ability  has  been  occasionally  exerted  in  the  composition  of 
heraldic  subjects.  The  arms,  carved  about  the  EHzabethan 
period,  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  Rockingham  Castle,  in  North- 
amptonshire, are  perhaps  the  finest  specimens  extant  of  masterly 
skill  in  armorial  embellishment.  In  ancient  sculpture,  accord- 
ing to  the  poets,  the  representation  of  fish  was  most  perfect. 
Martial  has  paid  an  elegant  little  comphment  to  the  chief  of 
sculptors  : — 

Mark  Phidias'  fish,  group'd  by  yon  stony  brim. 
Add  but  a  drop  of  water,  and  they  swim. 

The  river  Yare,  in  Norfolk,  abounds  with  the  rufte,  a  beau- 
tiful little  fish,  which  is  peculiar  to  it,-f-  of  the  same  class  and 
closely  allied  to  the  perch.  A  fountain  charged  with  a  fish  in 
the  crest  of  Yarrell,  is,  on  account  of  the  name,  presumed  to  be 
intended  for  a  type  of  the  Yare,  and  its  peculiar  produce, 
the  rufte. 

The  credit  of  the  discovery  of  the  ruffe  or  pope,  with  which 
Cuvier  commences  his  division  of  the  "  Percoid  fishes,"  is  assigned 
to  the  learned  Dr.  Caius,  or  Kayc,  pjiysician  to  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, who  found  it  first  in  the  river  Yare,  near  Norwich.  The 
col«)i;r.s  of  the  ruffe  are  goMon  green,  inclining  to  olive  brown  on 
the  back,  and  silvery  tow  arils  the  belly. 

*  Vide  p.  1)8.  f  History  of  Yarmouth,  1770", 


110  THE    HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 

In  form  fisli  are  the  most  varied  beincrs  iu  the  creation;  and 
fancy  can  scarcely  depict  a  shape  to  which  a  resemblance  will 
not  be  found  :  they  are  of  enormous  bulk,  or  of  the  most  graceful 
appearance,  but  among  all,  the  characteristic  shape  of  the  fish 
may  be  traced.  It  is  also  remarked  by  naturalists  that  the  bony 
structure  of  fish  is  best  exhibited  in  the  skeleton  of  the  perch ; 
the  characters  of  the  different  genera  are  in  some  measure  taken 
from  the  form  of  the  bones  in  the  head,  but  the  lowest  rank 
in  our  systems  is  allotted  to  fish  in  the  scale  of  vertebrated 
animals. 

In  the  vast  range  of  heraldry  the  skeletons  of  fish  are  assumed 
as  armorial  bearings  by  famihes  of  Germany  and  Switzerland. 
Gules,  two  skeletons  of  fish,  in  saltier  argent ;  ^-ith  the  very 
appropriate  crest,  an  otter  sejant,  are  borne  by  the  family  of 
Gradel,  of  Borden,  in  Bavaria.* 


The  Counts  of  Windischgratz,  of  the  Bench  of  Franconia, 
quartered  with  their  own  paternal  arms  those  of  Graduer :  joules, 
the  back-bone  of  a  fish  in  bend  sinister  or.  The  old  nobifity  of 
Germany,  constituting  the  Benches,  or  Colleges  of  the  Counts-, 
were  petty  sovereigns,  had  numerous  vassals,  and  differed  little 
from  the  ancient  Barons  of  England. 

At  an  early  period  architects,  as  well  as  heralds,  availed  them- 
selves of  the  fi^,h  skeleton  as  an  ornament :  a  kind  of  ano^ilar 
masonry,  called  herring-bone  work,  is  one  of  the  discriminat- 
ing features  of  a  particular  date.  In  the  erection  of  Castleton, 
Colchester,  Guildford,  and  other  ancient  castles,  the  Norman 
masons  showed  great  increnuity  in  laying  their  materials  upon 
their  edges  hi  such  a  way  as  to  otler  combinations  resembling 

*  Sibmacher's  Waponbuch,  Iti'Oo. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Ill 


the  spinous  bones  of  a  fi.sli,  termed  berrini^-bone  work,  like 
the  opus  reticulatnm  of  the  Romans,  and  the  zigzag  meshes  of  a 
fishing-net.  In  consequence  of  tlie  productiveness  of  the  Dutch 
fishery  it  is  proverbially  said  that  the  city  of  Amsterdam  is 
founded  on  hening-bones. 


Sable,  a  skeleton  of  a  fish  embowed  argent,  are  the  arms  of 
Von  Praromon,  a  Swiss  family.  There  is  something  in  the 
assumption  of  a  skeleton  for  an  ensign  that  suggests  the  idea  of 
oppression  to  which  the  less  powerful  were  subjected.  In  Swit- 
zerland every  vanety  of  feudal  right  was  early  found  and  long 
preserved :  and  it  is  the  remark  of  an  elegant  historian,  that 
although  the  atFairs  of  the  Swiss  occupy  a  very  small  space  in 
the  great  chart  of  European  history,  in  some  respects  tliev  are 
more  interesting  than  the  revolutions  of  mighty  kingdoms.* 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  an  instance  of  the 
spirit  and  temper  with  which  feudal  claims  were  pursued  is  found 
in  France.  Peter  dc  Bourdeilles  (better  known  by  the  name  of 
Brantome,  of  which  he  was  Abbot),  Lord  and  Baron  of  Riche- 
mont,  Chevalier,  Gentleman  of  the  Chamber  to  King  Charles  IX. 
and  Henry  III,  and  Chamherlain  to  the  Duke  of  Alencon,  hav- 
ing instituted  a;  law-suit  against  a  citizen  for  refusing  to  swear 
fealty  and  homage  to  him  as  seigneur  ;  and  foreseeino-  that  he 
could  not  live  to  the  end  of  the  suit,  bequeathed  his  wrath  by 
will  to  his  heirs,  ordering  them  to  pursue  "  ce  jutit  oalant,  sprung 
from  a  mean  family,  and  whoso  grandfather  had  been  a  notarv ;" 
thus  overwhelming  the  citizen  with  his  nubility,  and  leavino-  him 
to  be  dealt  with  bv  his  successors. 


Hallam's  Middle  Ages. 


112 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Zf)t  Salmon,  Crout,  ^melt,  antr  iGrai)ling,  Mtf) 
tbtix  encmg  tfie  Otter* 

In  no  country  of  the  world  are  the  salmon  fisheries  so  exten- 
sive, or  their  value  of  so  much  importance  as  in  Great  Britain. 
The  fislieries  in  the  rivers  Severn  and  Wye  are  noticed  in  the 
Domesday  Survey.  In  the  Severn  the  salmon  are  of  the  finest 
quality;  the  river  from  Shropshire  proceeds  in  its  course  to 
Worcester,  thence  to  Gloucester,  below  which  the  estuary  as- 
sumes the  name  of  the  Bristol  Channel. 

The  earliest  salmon  that  comes  in  season  to  London  is  brought 
from  the  Severn.  Gules,  three  salmon  hauriant  argent,  allusive 
to  the  produce  of  this  river,  are  borne  for  arms  by  a  family  of 
the  name  of  Gloucester. 


Another  family  of  the  name  of  Gloucester  bears,  azure,  a  fess 
argent,  in  chief  two  leopards'  faces  or,  and  in  base  a  salmon 
hauriant  of  the  second. 

The  manor  of  Berkeley,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  kingdom, 
includes  the  fishery  of  the  Severn ;  and  the  Lords  Berkeley  had 
the  sole  right  of  salmon  fishing.  A  fi-<hery  of  considerable  extent 
belonged  to  the  Abbot  of  St.  Augustine's  at  Bristol,  a  monastery 
which  was  founded  In'  the  Lord  of  Berkeley  in  the  reign  of 
Stephen.* 

*  Alkyns's  Historj'  of  Gloutcblorslure. 


THE   HERALDHY    OF   FISH. 


113 


The  seal  of  the  Lord  of  Borkt'ley,  iu  the  rei<^  of  Edward  III, 
bears  his  arms  with  a  merman  and  mermaid  supporting  the 
shield.  On  the  monument,  at  Wooton-nnder-edge,  of  Thomas 
Lord  Berkeley,  who  died  in  1417,  he  is  represented  in  armour, 
with  a  collar  of  mermaids,  denoting  his  maritime  jurisdiction.* 

The  high  value  and  importance  of  nsheries  was  acknowledged 
in  the  earliest  periods  :  in  Egypt,  those  of  the  river  Nile  were 
free  to  the  public,  but  the  fisheries  on  the  canals  connected  with 
the  Nile  and  the  lake  Mceris  formed  part  of  the  hereditary 
domains  of  the  crown.  These  fisheries,  it  appears,  daily  paid  a 
large  tribute  to'  the  royal  treasury  during  the  six  months  in 
which  the  water  flowed  through  the  canal  into  the  lake  ;  and 
during  the  other  six  months  a  smaller  sum,  forming  a  branch  of 
revenue  appropriated  to  the  queens  of  Egypt  as  pin-money.-f* 

Kingston-upon-Thames,  a  residence  and  place  of  coronation  of 
several  Anglo-Saxon  monarchs  of  England,  bears  a  type  of  pri- 
vilege of  fishery  upon  the  town  seal. 


By  charter  of  Philip  and  Mary,  a  fishing  weir  is  held  by  the 
corporation  of  Kingston  in  consideration  of  repairing  the  bridge, 
which  was  formerly  of  wood,  but  has  been  lately  rebuilt  with 
stone,  and  the  emblems  of  their  privilege,  three  salmon,  are 
sculptured  over  the  centre  arch. 

The  river  Fowey  traverses  some  of  the  pleasant  parts  of  Corn- 
wall, forming  a  vaUey  above  the  towj).  of  Lostwithiel,  in  which 
the  remains  of  Restormel  Castle  are  finely  sun-ounded  with  wood. 

*  Engraved  in  IlnUis's  Moiiumintal  Etnt,MCs. 

t  Athenccum,  Iti^iT,  on  the  aits  of  the  Egyptians. 


114 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


The  riglit  of  fishery  in  the  Fowey  belonged  to  the  manor  of  the 
ancient  Earls  of  Cornwall,  whose  seat  was  Restormel  Castle,  and 
whose  stannary  court  for  the  tin  mines  was  in  the  town.  The 
seal  of  Lostwithiel,  about  the  time  of  King  Hemy  IV,  shows  the 
castle  and  the  fish,  indicative  of  the  feudal  rights  of  the  earldom. 


In  reference  to  the  noted  produce  of  the  Tweed,  the  royal 
burgh  of  Peebles  bears  for  anns,  vert,  three  salmon  counter 
naiant  in  pale  argent,  with  the  motto,  Contra  nando  incremen- 
tmn,  in  allusion  to  the  benefit  derived  to  the  town  from  the  pro- 
gress of  the  salmon  up  the  streain  to  deposit  their  spa^ii. 

Lanark,  a  royal  burgh  on  the  Clyde,  one  of  the  finest  rivers  of 
Scotland,  bears  two  salmon  naiant,  with  other  charges,  in  the 
arms  of  the  corporation. 

The  principal  salmon  rivers  in  Scotland  are,  the  Tay,  the  Don, 
the  Spey,  the  Brora,  and  the  Awe ;  the  quantity  of  fish  killed  is 
immense,  no  less  than  fifty  thousand  salmon  are  said  to  have 
been  taken  in  the  river  Tay  in  the  course  of  one  year.  A  very 
productive  salmon  fishery  at  Helmsdale  in  Sutherlandshire,  is 
one  of  the  ancient  privileges  of  that  earldom  ;  and  on  the  banks 
of  this  rapid  stream  are  the  remains  of  a  tower  built  by  Margaret 
Countess  of  Sutherland  in  the  fifteenth  century,  one  of  those 
marks  of  regality  of  which  time  has  left  so  ie^v  in  Great  Britain, 
even  to  the  most  powerful  families. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


llj 


The  Lords  of  xhe  Isles,  highland  chieftains,  descendants  of 
Somerled,  bear  arms  indicative  of  the  produce  of  the  bays  and 
creeks  in  their  domain  :  quarterly,  1st,  argent,  a  lion  rampant 
gules;  2nd,  or,  a  hand  in  armour,  holding  a  cross  crosslet 
fitchy  gules ;  Srd,  or,  a  IvTnphad,  or  fishing  vessel,  with  sails' 
fnrled  sable  ;  4th,  vert,  a  salmon  naiant  argent.  The  ancient 
Lords  of  the  Isles  are  now  represented  by  the  Lord  Macdonald, 
whose  chief  seat  is  at  Arniidale  in  the  Isle  of  Skye,  one  of  the 
largest  of  the  Hebrides,  in  which  are  several  rivers  containing 
abundance  of  salmon  and  trout. 

Most  of  the  Irish  rivers  and  lakes  abound  in  salmon;  the 
royal  piscary  of  Banne,  in  the  county  of  Londonderry,  is  re- 
markably productive.  In  the  year  1776  the  salmon  fishery  on 
the  river  Banne  proved  extraordinarily  successful,  the  take  of 
one  net  at  one  drag  was  in  that  season  one  thousand  four  hundred 
and  fifty-two  fish,  the  largest  hawl  on  record.* 

The  town  seal  of  Coleraine,  situated  upon  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  lower  Banne,  shows  tlio  fish  as  an  object  of  importance. 


•The  famous  salmon  leap  on  the  Banne,  at  Castle  Roe  mill,  is  a 
fall  of  about  seven  feet,  but  at  low  stream  only  five  feet. 

The  O'Xeills,  claiming  descent  from  Milesius,  are  among  the 
most  ancient  of  the  original  families  of  Ireland.  Conn  O'Xeill 
the  chief,  on  disclaiming  the  title  of  Prince,  and  submitting  to 
the  English  crown,  was  created  Earl  of  T}Tono,  at  Greenwich, 

"  Notes  on  Nets,  a  very  curious  .-uiJ  insti-uctive  work  upon  the  subject,  by  the  Hon, 
and  Rev.  Charles  Bathurst,  LL.D. 

i2 


-■iii'^^^ 


116  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

by  King  Henry  VIII,  in  1543.  His  son,  Matthew  O^Neill,  in 
the  same  year  v\  as  created  Lord  Dungannou,  a  title  derived  from 
the  name  of  the  ancient  castle  and  residence  of  the  lords  of 
Ulster,  the  most  northerly  division  of  Ireland.  It  stood  on  the 
banks  of  one  of  the  tributaries  to  the  Blackwater,  a  river  of  the 
county  of  Antrim,  fomed  for  its  salmon  equally  with  the  Erne 
and  the  Banne :  the  latter  river  flows  into  Lough  Neagh,  the 
largest  lake  in  Ireland,  and  stored  with  salmon.  On  its  banks 
is  Shane's  Castle,  the  seat  of  General  Earl  O'Neill,  Vice-Admiral 
of  the  coast  of  Ulster.  The  arms  of  this  family  are,  per  fess 
wavy,  the  chief  argent,  charged  with  a  sinister  hand  gules,  the 
base  water,  therein  a  salmon  naiant. 


The  red  hand  of  Ireland,  the  dence  of  the  ancient  Lords  of 
Ulster,  was  granted  to  baronets,  on  the  institution  of  the  order, 
as  a  symbol  of  the  assistance  afforded  to  King  James  in  sub- 
duing the  clan  O'Neill,  and  in  the  reduction  of  that  province. 

Gules,  three  salmon  naiant  or,  are  the  arms  of  Sir  Richard 
Keane,  Baronet,  of  Capi)0(iuin  in  the  county  of  Waterford  ;  the 
same  arms,  surmounted  Ijy  a  chief,  on  which  is  a  ^-iew  of  a  for- 
tress, are  borne  by  General  the  Right  Honourable  Lord  Keane 
of  Ghusnu,  in  Affghaiiistan,  G.C.B.  and  G.C.H. 

Ord  is  a  name  implying  edge  or  border,  of  which  the  Ord  of 
Caithness,  on  the  border  of  Sutherlaudshire,  is  a  prominent  in- 
stance. There  are  several  manors  called  Ord  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tweed,  a  boundary  stream  celebrated  fur  salmon ;  its  pro- 
duce is  typified  in  the  arms  of  the  Old  family  of  Northumbel-- 
land,  from  which  are  descended  several  considerable  branches 
besides  that  of  Ord  of  Feuham. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


117 


Sable,  ihreo  salmon  haiirfa/it  argent,  are  the  arms  of  tlie  family 
of  Orel  of  Fishburn,  in  the  bishopric  of  Durham,  ancestors  of  the 
late  Craven  Ord,  Esq.  of  Greenstoad  Hall  in  Essex,  F.R.S. 


The  same  annS;  sable,  three  salmon  hauriant  argent,  are  borne 
by  Sir  John  Powlett  Orde,  Baronet :  of  this  family  was  Thomas 
Orde,  Esq.  Secretary  to  the  Treasury,  who  married  Jane  Mary, 
the  daughter  of  Charles  Duke  of  Bolton,  and  assumed  the  name 
of  Powlett  on  succeeding  to  the  ducal  estate.  In  1797  he  was 
created  Lord  Bolton. 


The   present   nobleman  bears   the  original    arms  of  Powlett : 
sable,  three  swords  in  pile  argent,  hilted  or,   with  the  additiou 


118 


THE   HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


of  a  canton  to  show  his  paternal  descent ;  argent,  charged  with 
a  shield  sable,  bearing  a  salmon  liauriant.  Crest,  a  falcon  rising 
or,  the  breast  and  each  wing  charged  with  an  estoile  gules,  and 
gorged  with  a  ducal  coronet  azure,  in  the  beak  a  salmon. 

The  Seigneur  Du  Bartas,  in  his  Commentary  of  the  Week  of 
Creation,  notices  the  ascent  of  various  fish  to  the  rivers  in 
spring.* 

So  dainty  salmons,  chevins  thunder-scar'd. 
Feast-famous  sturgeons,  lampreys  speckle-starr'd. 
In  the  spring  season  the  rough  seas  forsake. 
And  in  the  rivers  thousand  pleasures  take. 

The  arms  of  the  family  of  Sea  of  Underdown,  near  Canter- 
bury, seem  to  be  derived  from  the  known  habits  of  the  salmon  : 
argent,  a  salmon  hauriant  between  two  flanches  azure,  each 
charged  with  three  bars  wavy  of  the  field.  Crest,  two  lobsters' 
claws  erect  gules,  each  holding  a  fish  argent. 

i 


Salmon  pass  the  summer  in  the  sea,  or  near  the  mouth  of 
an  estuary,  and  in  ^^•^nte^  inhabit  fresh  water  :  many  provincial 
couplets  relate  the  time  when  the  descent  of  the  fish  to  the  sea 
takes  place  ;  late  in  June  the  fry  are  rarely  observed  in  the 
rivers. 

The  last  spring-floods  tliat  happen  in  May, 
Carry  the  salmon  fry  down  to  the  sea. 


Translated  by  Sylvt-ster. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


119 


In  the  months  of  July  and  August  these  very  fry,  or  smolts, 
come  up  as  grilses  to  the  same  rirers  which  they  left  in  May, 
and  in  this  state  they  remain  until  December,  when  they  revisit 
the  sea,  and  upon  their  next  return  to  the  fresh  w^aters  they 
appear  as  perfect  salmon. 

As  the  salmon  ascend  the  rivers  their  progress  forward  is  not 
easily  stopped.  These  fish  shoot  up  the  rapids  with  the  velocity 
of  arrows,  and  m-ake  very  ^vonderfid  efforts  to  surmount  cascades 
and  other  impediments  to  their  advance  by  leapin-r,  frequently 
clearing  an  elevation  of  not  less  than  ten  feet,  and  hiving  gained 
the  water  above  pursue  their  course.  It  is  this  property  of  the 
salmon  which  is  alluded  to  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Way,  a 
name  implying  passage,  or  power  of  progression,  possessed  in  so 
remarkable  a  degree  by  the  salmon,  which  frequent  almost  every 
sea,  and  traverse  the  whole  length  of  the  largest  rivers.  There 
are  several  profitable  fisheries  on  the  Ehine,  which  abounds  with 
salmon ;  one  is  near  Basle  in  Switzerland,  above  four  hundred 
miles  from  the  sea,  an  extraordinary  run  for  the  fish,  wliich  must 
pass,  in  their  passage  from  the  North  Sea,  the  cities  of  Leyden, 
Utrecht,  Cologne,  Coblentz,  Mayence,  Worms,  Manheim,  Spire, 
and  Strasburg. 

Azm-e,  three  salmon  hauriant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Way,  of  Denham  Place,  in  Buckinghamshire,  a  family 
which  came  originally  from  the  banks  of  the  Wey,  a  river  of 
Dorsetshire,  and  acquired  the  manor  of  Denham  by  descent. 


On  the  monument  at  Acton,  in  Middlesex,  of  J.  Raymond 
Way,  Esq.  who  died  in  TSO^,  the  fish  are  sculptured  on  the 
shield  as  in  the  arms  of  Ord,*  being  a  variation  from  tlie  original 
coat.  Gules,  a  chevron  or,  between  three  salmon  hauriant 
argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Way  of  Devonshire. 

■"  *  Vide  page  117. 


120 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


The  produce  of  the  river  has  sometimes  criven  name  to  the 
stream.  13rad(lan,  In  the  Isle  of  Man,  is  known  as  Kirk  Salmon, 
being  situated  on  a  river  abounding  with  that  fish  two  miles  from 
Douglas,  where  it  falls  into  the  sea  and  forms  the  harbour,  one  . 
of  the  best  in  the  Irish  Channel.  In  America  the  river  Salmon 
is  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Connecticut,  the  largest  river  in 
New  England. 

Salm,  the  German  word  for  salmon,  is  the  name  of  several 
seignories  of  the  empire  on  the  borders  of  the  river  Salm,  one  of 
the  tributaries  of  the  Moselle.  Salmon  are  here  borne  as  terri- 
torial ensigns  in  reference  to  the  name  of  the  fief.  Gules,  semee 
of  cross  crosslets  or,  two  salmon  addorsed  argent,  are  the  arms, 
and  two  salmon  addorsed,  tails  u])ward,  argent,  are  borne  as  a 
crest  by  the  Princes  of  Upper  Salm,  in  Lorraine,  descended  from 
the  Wildgravcs  and  Rhiugraves  of  Daun  and  Kyrburg,  feudal 
titles,  which  attest  the  antiquity  of  German  families. 


The  Wildgravcs  were  Counts  of  the  forest  of  Ardennes ; 
the  Rhingraves  were  Counts  of  seignories  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  whose  territories  differing  in  extent,  they  equally,  within 
their  demesnes,  exercised  the  rights  of  sovereignty.  In  reference 
to  this  feudal  constitution  of  the  empire,  Charles  V.  remarked 
that  in  other  dominions  he  was  obeyed  by  subjects,  but  in  Ger- 


THE   HERilLDHY   OP    FISH.  121 

many  he  comm&n'Jetl  kings.  A  siniilar  eApressIon  had  been 
previously  applied  to  Charles  Marte),  from  whom  the  Carloviuian, 
or  second  race  of  kings  of  France,  derive  their  descent. 

Cest  ce  ilartel,  le  Prince  dc  Francois, 
Non  Roy  de  noin,  mais  le  maister  des  Roys. 

The  Princes  of  Salm  are  descended  from  Philip  Otto,  who 
was  made  a  Prince  of  the  Empire  in  1625,  and  claim  alliance 
with  the  royal  family  of  England  through  the  gi-and-daughter 
of  Frederic,  the  Elector  Palatine,  and  the  Princess  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  King  James  I, 

The  same  arms  and  crest  *  are  borne  by  the  Counts  of  Lower 
Salm,  or  Salm  Eeifferschied,  lineally  descended  from  Loherus, 
Duke  of  the  Moselle,  and  the  Dukes  of  Limburg,  whose  ancient 
castle  at  Salm  crowns  the  summit  of  a  hill. 

In  France  salmon  are  borne  in  heraldry  as  a  play  upon  the 
personal  designation.  Sable,  frctty  argent,  on  a  chief  gules  a 
salmon  naiant  or,  are  the  arms  of  Salmon.  Another  French 
family  of  the  same  name  bear,  azure,  a  chevron  or,  between  three 
salmon  hauriant. 

The  name  of  Salmon  is  not  uncommon  in  England,  and  almost 
every  one  of  that  name,  from  early  periods  and  entitled  to  bear 
arms,  assumed  the  fish  as  a  family  device.  John  Salmon,  Prior 
of  Ely,  afterwards  Lord  Chancellor  to  King  Edward  II.  and 
Bishop  of  Norwich,  built  the  episcopal  palace  about  1320,  and 
also  a  chapel  at  the  west  end  of  the  cathedral  at  Norwich. 
He  died  at  Folkstone  in  1325.  Thomas  Salmon,  Abbot  of  Cerne 
in  Dorsetshire,  rebuilt  the  gatehouse  of  that  abbey  in  1501), 
which  is  enriched  with  his  arms,  the  arms  of  the  abbey,  and 
with  the  royal  badges  of  the  house  of  Tudor. 

Sable,  tliree  salmon  hauriant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Salmon  of  Finuingley,  in  Nottinghamshire.  The  same  arms 
are  upon  a  monument  in  the  church  of  Leigh  in  Essex,  in 
memory  of  Ixobert  Salmon,  one  of  the  Masters  of  the  Trinity 
House,  who  died  in  1641  ;  also  on  a  mural  tablet  in  the  chancel 
of  Wadhurst  church  in  Sussex,  in  memory  of  the  Eev.  Wil- 
liam Salmon,  who  died  in  ]  830.  The  family  of  Salmon  of 
Willaston  Hall,  Nantwich,  in  Cheshire,  bear  the  fish  gold ; 
that  of  Salmon,   in  Yorkshire,   bear  the  field  red  and  the  fish 

•  Sibmather's  Wapenbuch,  l(>0o. 


^f^t>^ 


122 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


white  :  and  other  families  of  the  same  name  bear  only  two  fish 
hauriant. 

Thomas  Salmon,  M.A,  Rector  of  Meppershall  in  Bedfordshire, 
was  the  father  of  Thomas,  the  author  of  an  historical  account  of 
St.  George  and  the  Order  of  the  Garter  in  1704,  and  of  Natha- 
niel Salmon,  the  historian  of  Hertfordshire. 

The  family  of  Salmond  retains  the  fish  only  in  the  crest,  a 
salmon  naiant  or ;  that  of  Salmine  bears  for  arms,  gules,  two 
salmon  hauriant  addorsed  argent. 

Azure,  on  a  fess  or,  three  roses  gules  between  three  salmon 
hauriant  argent ;  crest,  an  arm  erect,  vested  bendy  or  and  azure, 
holding  in  the  hand  a  demi-fish  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Knight  of  the  city  of  Gloucester. 


Sable,  a  chevron  ermine  between  three  salmon  hauriant  argent, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Cater  of  Kempston,  in  Bedford- 
shire, and  that  of  Cater  of  Papworth  Agnes,  in  Huntingdonshire. 

A  Cater  is  a  purveyor ;  and,  in  aHusion  to  the  name,  salmon 
were  possibly  chosen  for  arms,  as  forming  an  important  part  of  a 
great  entertainment.  A  Roman  tessera,  bearin'^^  two  fish  in 
saltier,  an  in\itation  ticket  to  a  feast,  is  engraved  in  Montfaucon's 
Antiquities.*  S:dmon  chines  boiled,  was  one  of  the  di.>hes  in  the 
first  course,  consisting  of  fish,  at  Archbishop  Nevile's  dinner. 

*  Vol.  iiL 


THE   HERALDRY   OF   FTSH. 


123 


One  dish  in  each  course  ^"-as  the  standard ;  and  at  a  fish  feast 
to  knights,  clerks,  and  es«^uires,  duriiig  Lent,  in  the  thirteenth 
centurj,  the  standard  was  half  a  salmon  with  the  chine.  Other 
dishes  at  the  same  feast  were,  a  fresh  conger,  three  fat  pikes, 
five  fat  eels,  and  twentv-seven  fat  roaches,  half  a  hundred  1am- 
prouns,  and  oysters.  Sometimes  the  standard  was  only  an  orna- 
ment ;  St.  George,  the  gTiffin,  &c.  are  named  as  standards  ;  and 
it  may  be  remarked  that  the  painted  temples  decorated  with 
sweetmeats,  which  stil)  make  their  appearance  at  city  feasts, 
are  the  successors  to  the  standard  at  the  tahles  of  our  an- 
cestors.* 

Gules,  two  salmon  hauriant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Sammes  ;  and  azure,  three  salmon  naiant  in  pale  argent,  are 
the  arms  of  that  of  Sambrooke. 


Sir  Jeremy  Sambrooke  having  married  Judith  the  sister  of 
Sir  Nicholas  Yanacker,  Baronet,  of  Erith  in  Kent,  succeeded  to 
the  Baronetcy,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  patent  granted  by 
King  William  III.  in  1700.  His  sou.  Sir  Jeremy  Sambrooke, 
Bart,  of  Gobions,  in  Hertfordshire,  died  in  1754,  when  the  title 
became  extinct.  Several  monuments  of  this  family  are  in  the 
church  of  North  Minis. 

The  Earl  of  Lichfield  bears  the  arms  of  Sambrooke,  azure, 
three  salmon  naiant  argent,  quartered  with  those  of  Anson, 
argent,  three  bends  gules,  to  show  his  descent  from  this  family. 
Sambrooke  Adanis,  Esq.  of  Sambrooke,  in  Shropshire,  on  the 
borders  of  Staffordshire,  married  .Janette,  sister  of  the  distin- 
guished Admiral  Lor<l  Anson  ;  and  on  the  death  of  his  lord.ship''s 
brother  Thomas  in  1770,  their  estate   devolved  to  his  nephew, 

♦  The  daily  expcnces  of  a  person  of  rank  in  the  thirteenth  centiir)-,  printed  by  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Hunter,  F.S.A.  in  the  Retrospective  ReWew. 


124  THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

George  Anson,  Esq.  the  father  of  Thomas  Viscount  Anson, 
whose  son,  Thomas  William  Viscount  Anson,  was  created  Earl 
of  Lichfield  in  1831. 

Argent,  three  fish  naiaut  in  pale  sable,  are  the  arras  of  the 
family  of  Welsh ;  and,  gules,  two  fish  in  saltier  argent,  are  the 
arms  of  the  fomilj  of  Sevington.  These  fish  are  probably  in- 
tended for  sewins,  which  are  slightly  dissimilar  to  salmon,  and 
are  abundant  in  the  streams  of  the  southern  part  of  Wales, 
whence  they  are  commonly  termed  Welsh  salmon.* 


An  offering  of  fish  was  claimed  and  allowed  to  the  Abbot  of 
St.  Peter's  Westminster,  for  several  centuries,  on  the  plea  that 
St.  Peter  had  granted  the  tithe  of  all  salmon  caught  in  the 
Thames  at  the  time  he  consecrated  the  church.  The  extent  of 
this  claim  over  the  river,  made  by  the  abbot  on  the  part  of  the 
convent,  was  equal  to  that  of  the  present  jurisdiction  of  the  Lord 
Mayor,  from  Yantlet  creek  to  Staines  bridge ;  and  among 
many  causes  a:jsigned  for  the  scarcity  of  salmon  in  the  Thames  in 
more  modern  times,  it  was  believed  that  the  fishermen  not  having 
made  their  customary  offering  to  St.  Peter  was  the  principal.f 

In  the  arms  of  the  city  of  Glasgow,  and  in  those  of  the  ancient 
see,  a  salmon  with  a  ring  in  its  mouth  is  said  to  record  a  miracle 
of  St.  Keutigern,  the  tounder  of  the  see,  and  the  first  Bishop  of 
Glasgow.  On  the  reverse  of  Bishop  Wishart's  seal  in  the  reign 
of  Edward  II,  this  supposed  allusion  to  the  legendary  story  of 
St.  Kentigern  appears  for  the  first  time.:J: 

Some  of  the  early  Bishops  of  Glasgow  displayed  the  figure  of 

•  Hansard's  Trout  and  Salmon  fishing  in  Wale*,  p.  18. 
f  Brayloy's  Histor)'  of  Westminster  Abber. 
t  Ancient  Burgh  Records  of  f ilasgnw,  1832. 


THE   KESALDSY    OF   FISH.  125 

a  salmon,  either  on  the  sides  of.  or  bolow  the  shield  of  arms  on 
their  seals,  a  circumstance  which  may  he  accounted  for,  with- 
out reference  to  a  miracle,  as  depicting  the  produce  of  the  Clyde. 
The  revenue  of  the  church  of  Glasgow  at  the  Reformation,  in- 
cluded one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  salmon,  arising  from  the 
franchise  or  fishery  iu  that  river. 

John  Cameron,  Lord  Privy  Seal  to  King  James  I.  of  Scotland, 
and  Bishop  of  Glasgow  in  1426,  bore  on  his  episcopal  seal  the 
figure  of  St.  Keutigem  in  a  tabernacle,  below  which  are  his 
paternal  arms,  three  bars,  having  a  salmon  with  a  ring  in  its 
mouth  on  either  side  of  the  shield,  which  is  surmounted  by  the 
mitre.  The  ring  is  perhaps  a  tyjje  of  the  annular  money  current 
among  the  Britons. 

The  diocese  of  Glasgow  was  erected  into  an  Archbishopric  in 
1491,  with  Galloway,  Argyll,  and  the  Isles  as  suffragans. 
James  Beaton,  Archbishop  of  Glasgow  and  Abbot  of  Dumferm- 
line,  the  uncle  of  Cardinal  Beaton,  died  Primate  of  Scotland 
in  1539.  Many  munificent  marks  of  his  public  spirit  and  piety 
long  resisted  time,  and  remained  after  the  cathedral  ceremonies 
had  been  deserted  for  the  plain  offices  of  the  kirk  of  Scotland. 
On  the  walls  of  the  Episcopal  Palace,  or  Castle  of  Glasgow, 
were  sculptured  the  arms  of  Beaton,  azure,  a  fess  between  three 
mascles  or,  quartered  -with  Balfour,  argent,  on  a  chevron  sable 
an  otter''s  head  erased  of  the  first,  and  below  the  shield  a  salmon 
with  a  ring  in  its  mouth,  as  represented  on  the  seals  of  his 
predecessors.  Another  Archbishop  Beaton  refounded  the  Scotch 
College  at  Paris  in  1603,  where,  on  a  monument  to  his  memory, 
are  his  arms,  surmounted  by  the  episcopal  hat,  and  beneath  the 
shield  the  fish  and  ring,  the  emblem  of  the  see  of  Glasgow.  In 
more  recent  times.  Archbishop  Cairncross,  in  1684,  bore  the 
arms  of  the  see  impaled  with  his  paternal  coat. 

The  arms  of  the  city  of  Glasgow  are  those  of  the  former  see, 
argent,  on  a  mount  a  tree  with  a  bird  on  a  branch  to  the  dexter, 
and  a  bell  pendent  on  the  sinister  side,  the  stem  of  the  tree  sur- 
moimted  by  a  salmon  iu  fess  having  in  its  mouth  a  gold  ring. 

"  The  legend  of  the  fisfh  and  the  ring,"  sixys  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Dibdin,*  '•  is  extant  in  well  nigh  every  chap-book  in  Scotland  ; 
old  Spotswood  is  among  the  earliest  historians  who  garnished  up 
the  dish  ti-um  the   Latin  monastic  legends,  and  Messrs,  Smith, 

*  Iu  a  note  to  Ids  Northern  Tour,  p.  01)4. 


126 


THE   HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 


M'Lellan,  and  Cleland,  have  not  failed  to  quote  his  words.  They 
report  of  St.  Kentigeru,  that  a  lady  of  good  place  in  the  country 
having  lost  her  ring  as  she  crossed  the  river  Clyde,  and  her 
husband  waxing  jealous,  as  if  she  had  bestowed  the  same  on  one 
of  her  lovers,  she  did  mean  herself  unto  Kentigern,  entreating 
his  help  for  the  safety  of  her  honour  ;  and  tliat  he,  going  to  the 
river  after  he  had  used  his  devotion,  willed  one  who  was  making 
to  fish  to  bring  the  first  that  he  caught,  which  was  done.  In 
the  mouth  of  this  fish  he  found  the  ring,  and  sending  it  to  the 
lady,  she  was  thereby  freed  of  her  husband's  suspicion.  The 
credit  of  this  I  believe ""  (continues  the  sa'me  author)  "  upon  the 
reporters ;  but,  however  it  be,  the  see  and  city  of  Glasgow  do 
both  of  them  bear  in  their  arms  a  fish  with  a  ring  in  its  mouth 
even  to  this  day." 


The  classical  tale  of  Polycrates,  related  by  Herodotus  a  thou- 
sand years  before  the  time  of  St.  Kentigern,  is  perhaps  the 
earliest  version  of  the  fish  and  the  ring,  which  has  been  often 
repeated  with  variations.  The  ring,  Herodotus  savs,  was  au 
emerald  set  in  gold  and  beautifully  engraved,  the  work  of  Theo- 
dorus  the  Samian  ;  and  thi.s  very  ring,  Pliny  relates,  was  pre- 
served in  the  Temple  of  Concord  at  Home,  to  which  it  was  given 
by  the  Emperor  Augustus.     The  device  of  the  fish  and  the  ring 


THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH.  127 

is  engraved  in    M.  Claude   Paradia's   Keroical   Devices  as  an 
emblem  of  miinterrupted  prosperity,* 


In  the  koran  of  Mahomet  tlie  legend  of  the  ring  and  its  re- 
covery by  means  of  a  fish  is  introduced.  "  Solomon  entrusted 
his  signet  with  one  of  his  concubines,  which  the  devil  obtained 
from  her,  and  sat  on  the  throne  in  Solomon's  shape.  After  forty 
days  the  devil  departed,  and  threw  the  ring  into  the  sea.  The 
signet  was  swallowed  by  a  fish,  which  being  caught  and  given  to 
Solomon,  the  ring  was  found  in  its  belly,  and  thus  he  recovered 
his  kingdom."  -f 

The  singular  preservation  of  a  citizen's  ring  is  recorded  at 
Newcastle-on-T}Tie,  which  was  found  in  the  belly  of  a  salmon 
caught  in  that  river.|  A  well-known  monument  on  the  eastern 
wall  of  Stepney  church  bears  a  shield  of  arms  §  which  is  re- 
ferred to  as  commemorating  a  tradition,  that  the  Lady  Berry, 
in  whose  memory  the  monument  was  erected,  was  the  herome  of 
"The  cruel  Knight,  or  fortunate  Farmer's  Daughter,"  a  once 
popular  ballad,  the  scene  of  which  lies  in  Yorkshire  ;  it  describes 
a  ring  thrown  into  the  river,  and  restored  by  means  of  a  fish : 
but  the  ballad  is  certainly  too  old  to  refer  to  Lady  Berry,  who 
died  in  1696.  The  monument  remains,  but  so  injured  by  the 
weather  that  the  arms  are  no  longer  distinct. 

Gules,  a  salmon's  head  couped  fesswise,  with  a  ring  in  its 
mouth,  between  three  ciuquefoils  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Hamilton  of  Haggs :  crest,  a  salmon  hauriant  argent, 
with'  a  ring  in  its  mouth. 

Gules,  three  salmon  hauriant,  with  a  ring  in  each  of  their 
mouths  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Sprottie.  || 

•  Sjrmbola  Heroica,  1.763,  p.  .50. 

t  Side's  translation  of  the  Koran,  chapter  xxxviii.  p.  321. 

J  Vox  Piscis,  lt)-27,  p.  13. 

§  Engraved  in  Siiltor's  Anctler's  Guide. 

U  The  S<.ience  of  Hcrauldrie,  by  Sir  George  M;ickenzic  of  Rosehaugh,  1C80 


128 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


In  Germany,  where  the  traditions  of  the  rakldle  ages  are 
more  miugled  uith  historical  facts,  and  embelhshed  in  the  rehi- 
tion,  than  in  any  other  country  of  Europe,  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered that  the  legend  of  the  fish  and  the  ring  is  found  as  an 
heraldic  distinction.  The  Bavarian  family  of  Die  Proy  von 
Findelstein  bear  for  arms,  gules,  a  cubit  arm  proceeding  from 
clouds,  and  habited  azure,  grasping  a  fish  in  the  hand,  with 
a  golden  ring  in  its  mouth ;  and  for  crest,  on  a  coronet  a  hand 
and  fish  as  in  the  arms,  beneath  a  tree.* 


The  Germans,  so  tenacious  of  the  customs  of  their  ancestors, 
may  have  intended  by  the  ring  to  refer  to  the  first  attempt  at 
money  :  rings  of  gold  and  silver  were  formerly  used,  an<l  are 
current  even  to  this  day  amongst  the  natives  of  Guinea. 

In  German  heraldry,  fish,  as  devices,  are  much  more  frequently 
found,  and  their  positions  in  the  shields  are  infinitely  more  varied, 
than  in  the  armorial  bearings  of  England.  The  arms  on  the 
enoraved  vignette  at  page  1  were  selecteil  from  those  of  ancient 
families  in  the  empire  of  Germany.-f: 


*  Sibmacher's  Wapt-nbuch. 

+  From  Sibniacher'i  Wapenbuch,  ICOj,  a  curious  collection,  containing  the  arms 
of  the  empire,  of  the  potenUites  of  the  Gorman  nation,  witli  their  quarterings,  crests, 
and  helmets  ;  also  the  anus  of  uther  sUites  and  pliccs,  in  iiumlx-r  upwards  of  three  thou- 
sand.   An  edition  of  this  work  was  piiuted  at  Nurembeik',  by  A.  Wagenman,  in  1G30. 


Tit?:   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  129 

Tiie  centre  shield  hears,  or,  on  a  bend  azure,  a  salmon  party 
|H.'r  pale  argent  and  gules ;  the  ero.-?t,  a  willow  surmounted  by  a 
salmon  in  bend,  as  in  the  arms.  These  are  the  ensigns  of  the 
family  of  Die  Eosecgrlin  of  Meissen,  in  Upper  Saxony. 

The  dexter  shield  of  the  vignette  bears  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Dornheim  of  Silesia,  g^-iles,  three  trout,  their  heads  meeting  in 
the  centre  of  the  escutcheon;  the  heraldic  position  of  the  trout, 
seemingly  fanciful,  is  derived  from  the  habits  of  fish,  which  are 
active  and  amusing.  A  naturalist,  crossing  a  brook,  saw  at  the 
bottom  of  the  stream  the  resemblance  of  a  flower,  which  consisted 
of  a  circular  assemblage  o?  minnoAvs,  their  heads  all  meeting  in  a. 
centre,  and  their  tails  diverging  at  equal  distances,  which  being 
elevated  above  their  heads,  gave  the  fish  the  exact  appearance 
of  a  flower  half  blo«ai ;  the  object  that  attracted  them  all  was 
a  dead  minnow,  which  they  seemed  to  be  devouring.* 

The  other  shield,  azure,  three  barbel  embowed  with  their 
heads  to  the  centre  argent,  shows  the  arms  of  Von  Hanfstengel 
of  Meissen,  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe,  a  river  abounding  with 
fish,  and  in  all  the  features  of  natural  beauty  second  only  to 
the  Khine. 

The  de\-ices  of  early  heraldry  were  necessarily  chosen  from 
objects  familiar  to  the  vpssals  of  the  fief;  and,  in  accounting  for 
the  adoption  of  implements  in  daily  use,  their  importance  must 
not  be  considered  with  regard  to  the  present  state  of  civilization. 

The  earliest  method  of  taking  fish,  that  used  by  the  Nimrods 
of  Egypt,  previously  to  the  invention  either  of  hooks  or  nets, 
was  by  spearing,f  a' mode  still  practised  in  Scotland,  where  many 
salmon  are  killed  by  torchlight,  when  they  ascend  to  the 
stream  heads.  The  leister,  or  spear  with  barbed  points,  is  form- 
ed like  a  trident,  or  with  a  head  resembling  the  pheon  of 
heraldry,  instruments  which  are  borne  in  the  arms  of  families 
holding  a  right  of  fishery  in  productive  rivers.  The  animated 
scenes  which  occur  in  the  north  when  persons  are  engaged  in 
^almon-huiitiug,  are  described  by  Sir  Walter  Scott.:!:  The 
hunters  chase  the  fish  at  full  gallop,  and  strike  them  with  their 
barbed  spears  in  the  same  manner  as  hunters  spearing  boars  are 
represented  in  oM  tapestry. 

♦  YarrcH's  Hl.-ton- of  British  Fislies. 

t  A  sculi-tured  stone,  fxt;ivated  at  Clie-^tor  in  1  J."?''!,  and  onyravcd  in  Ly^ons's   liis- 
tiTv  ot  the  county,  as  a  Rouun  rcuiaiu,  shows  a  fisherman  wiili  his  spi-ar  aud  basket. 
:t   Red  (Jamiilet. 

K 


130 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


The  salmon  are  so  swift  in  their  own  element,  that  to  pursue 
and  strike  them  is  the  task  of  a  good  horseman,  with  a  quick 
eye  and  determined  hand,  with  foil  command  both  of  horse  aud 
weapon. 

Le  trident  de  Neptune 
Est  le  sceptre  du  njonde, 

is  a  well-known  expression  of  La  Harpe  to  denote  naval  supe- 
riority :  this  sceptre,  an  ensign  of  sovereignty  of  greater  anti- 
quity than  the  crown,  is  derived  from  the  triple-toothed  fishing- 
spear,  assumed  in  heraldry  as  emblematical  of  the  piscatorial 
jurisdiction,  included  in  the  privileges  of  a  manor.  Carew,  the 
historian  of  Cornwall,  notices  this  incident  in  the  family  of 
Glynn,  whose  seat  is  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Fowey  : — "  Mas- 
ter Glynn,  of  Glynn  ford,  manifesteth  by  this  compound  name 
the  antiquity  of  his  descent,  and  the  ordinary  passage  there  over 
the  Fowey.  The  store  of  salmon  which  this  river  afFordeth 
caused  his  ancestor  to  take  the  fi.-ihing-spears  for  arms."  * 

The  elder  line  of  the  Glynns  became  extinct  in  the  early  part 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the  heiress  married  Sir  John 
Carminow,  of  Boconuoc ;  but  a  branch,  of  which  was  John  Glpin, 
Esq.  Recorder  of  London,  is  now  possessed  of  the  seat  of  their 
ancestors.  The  family  of  Glynn  of  Helston  bears  for  arms, 
argent,  three  salmon-spears  sable. 


That  of  Shorley,  or  Chorley,  bears,  argent,  three  fishljig- 
spears  gules.  The  Soap-makers'  Company,  incorporated  in  UJoS, 
bears  for  arms,  azure,  a  dolphin  naiant  between  three  Hs^liiug- 
spears  or;  aud  a  s}»ear  erect,  issuing  out  of  water,  and  sustain- 
ing a  dolphin,  is  the  crest   of  the   family  of  Bellismo.      That 

Suney  of  Cornwall,  IG02. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


131 


of  Walley  bears  for  arms,  argeut,  three  wliale-spears,   or  har- 
iwons,  sable. 

In  Germany,  where  feudalism  still  lingers,  the  heraldic  indi- 
cation of  piscatory  rights  is  much  used.  Gules,  a  fishing-spear 
argent,  the  points  upv/ard,  is  the  armorial  distinction  of  the 
family  of  Von  Der  Gabel,  of  ancient  Thuringia,  a  province 
watered  by  several  productive  rivers,  the  source  of  manorial 
revenue.  Argent,  a  fishing-spear  sable  ;  and  crest,  a  salmon 
fixed  on  a  spear,  were  borne  by  Baron  Von  Ebnet,  of  Suabia.* 


Another  kind  of  fishing-spear,  the  pheon,  is  well  known  as  the 
emblem  of  royalty,  and,  under  the  denomination  of  the  broad  R. 
the  abbreviation  of  Rex  or  Eegina,  is  the  form  which  is  struck 
by  oflScers  of  the  Cro-OTi,  and  particularly  those  belonging  to  the 
Custom  House,  when  making  a  capture,  to  denote  the  regality 
or  right  of  possession.  It  is  the  regal  mark  also  used  on  all 
naval  stores  in  the  royal  dock-yards,  &c. 


The  pheon,  the  barbed  head  of  a  spear,  is  not  used  under 
that  name  in  French  heraldry;  at  least,  it  is  not  mentioned  by 
Palliot.-f-  Neither  does  the  pheon  occur  in  the  older  rolls  of 
English  heraldry ;  but,  as  a  charge,  was  b«»rne.  at  a  very  early 
period,  by  the  baronial  family  of  Malpas,    from   which  the  noijJe 

*  Sibmacher's  Wapenljuch,  ICOj. 

t  His  '^  Perfect  Science  of  Armon-"  professes  to  give   the  armorial  index  of  Lowan 
fieliot,  an  advocate  of  Burjundy,  the  most  voluminous  ou  the  subject. 


132  THE  HERALDRY   OF   FISH. 

house  of  Egerton  is  immediately  descended,  also  by  the  family 
of  Rawdon,  ancestors  of  the  Marquess  of  Hastings.  Two  pheons 
are  shown  on  the  seal  of  Sheffield  ;  and  azure,  a  pheon  argent, 
within  a  border  or,  charged  with  eight  torteaux,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Sharp  of  Yorkshire  and  Dmdiam,  punning,  with 
some  propriety,  on  its  use  in  striking  the  fish. 

The  pheon  differs  from  the  head  of  an  arrow  ;  but  in  heraldry, 
and  particularly  in  the  arms  of  the  different  branches  of  the 
family  of  Kemys,  it  is  used  as  the  arrow-head.  In  the  same 
manner  the  dart  is  often  confounded  in  poetry  with  the  arrow. 

Argent,  three  broad  arrows,  two  and  one,  bendwise  sable  ; 
crest,  a  trout  naiant,  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Corbally  of 
Ireland,  seem  to  refer  rather  to  the  trout-spear  than  the  arrow. 

Or,  a  pheon  azure,  is  the  armorial  ensign  of  the  noble  fa- 
mily of  Sidney,  originally  of  the  maritime  county  of  Sussex. 
Sir  Philip  Sidney,  eldest  son  of  Sir  Henry  Sidney  of  Pens- 
hurst,  K.G.  was  the  most  accomplished  man  of  his  age  ;  and  his 
brother,  Sir  Robert  Sidney,  K.G.  created  Earl  of  Leicester  by 
King  James,  was  the  patriarch  of  seven  earls  of  this  illustrious 
family,  whose  present  representatives  are.  Sir  John  Shelley  Sid- 
ney, Bart,  the  Lord  De  Li.^le  and  Dudley,  G.C.H.  and  the 
Lord  Strangford,  G.C.B.  &c. 

Sable,  a  pheon  argent,  is  borne  by  the  family  of  Nicholls  of 
Penrose,  in  Cornwall ;  and  that  of  Xicholls  of  Middlesex  bears 
sable,  three  pheons  shafted  rompc  argent,  the  head  of  the  spear 
being  in  this  instance  shoTvii  fixed  to  a  light  staff  for  use. 
Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  pheons  reversed,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Sulyard  of  Haughley,  in  Suffolk,  the  point  of 
the  pheon  being  placed  upwards,  contrary  to  the  usual  mode  of 
showing  the  weapon. 

Other  means  of  taking  salmon  are  referred  to  in  blazonry : 
sable,  three  salmon  hauriant  argent,  a  chief  or,  are  the  arms  of 
Kidson  of  ] bishop's  Wearmouth,  in  Durham,  assumed  possibly 
from  the  similarity  of  name  to  the  kiddle,  or  weir,  made  on  the 
river  to  catch  the  fish,  and  often  corrupted  to  kittle :  kettle-nets, 
used  for  the  same  purpose,  might  originate  the  phrase  "  a  kettle 
of  fish."  The  arms  of  the  family  of  Kydale,  or  Kendale,  are, 
argent,  a  chevron  between  three  dolphins  naiant  sable  ;  and  tiie 
same  are  borui^  by  the  family  of  Kendall  of  Pelyn,  in  Cornwall. 
Ashmole  says  "  Fish  love  not  old  kydle:*  as  they  do  the  new.""  * 

*  Thciitnini  (.'hemicum,   l(>o"2. 


THE    HERALDRY    CF    FISH. 


133 


THK   TROUT. 

The  trout,  a  <]e!icate  j^potted  n^li,  varyinuf  in  its  size,  form, 
and  colour,  is  found  in  almost  every  quarter  of  tlie  glol»e.  Trout 
cauyht  in  the  river  Coino,  near  Uxbridcre,  are  brought  alive  to 
the  London  market;  but  the  largest  trout  in  England  are  found  in 
the  river  Hull,  a  branch  of  the  Humber.  On  all  streams  famed 
for  the  productioa  of  trout  the  fisheries  are  guarded  with  pecu- 
liar care. 

The  town  of  Stafford,  the  birth-place  of  that  distinguished 
angler,  Isaak  ^Valton,  is  on  the  Sow,  a  river  noted  lor  the 
quality  as  well  as  the  quantity  of  its  trout  and  grayling.  A 
charter  from  King  John  confirmed  the  privileges  which  had  been 
held  by  this  to-wn  from  remote  antiquity ;  and  the  Corporation 
seal,  showing  the  fish  in  the  stream,  with  the  casstle  on  the  bank, 
alludes  to  the  riofht  of  fishino-  in  the  Sow. 


Tt  is  here  that  this  river  receives  the  waters  of  the  Penk, 
notictd  by  Drayton.* 

As  Sow,  which  from  h'T  spring 
At  Sttfford  ftieeU-th  Poiik,  which  sho  along  doth  hrini.' 
To  Trent. 

The  st-al  of  the  town  of  Newcastlo,  in  the  sami>  couut\, 
situated  on  another  branch  of  the  river  Trent,  aI>o  bears  an 
allusion  to  a  franchise  or  right  of  fishery.  It  represtnts  a 
castle,  and  beneath  its  walls  a  stream,   in  which  are   two  fi-jh  ; 

*   Polvolbion. 


134  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

upon  the  gatehouje  ^itantls  the  constable  with  his  horn,  and  his 
lieutenant,  bearing  a  partizan.  In  Berkshire  an  extensive  fishery 
on  the  river  Kennet  is  helJ  by  the  burgesses  of  HungerforJ. 
Their  ancient  horn  of  tenure  bears  the  crescent  and  star,  a  badge 
of  the  Plantagencts,  and  the  word  ftJungnfovlJ. 


Another  horn,  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  also  preserved  in 
the  tov\Ti-halI,  is  inscribed,  ^ol^n-  a*  gaun-  tiiti'  qibc  auH"  grant-  tljC 
riall-  fi'5i;tng-  to-  i)angcrforU-  tolunr  from-  citfcn-  iStub-  to-  itisl)'  itiV 
n-cfpting-Som-  Scbcral-  mil-  pouutJ.  .^ci^o^opljat-  %uca^-  con^tabX^- 1634. 

The  river  Kennet,  rising  on  jSlarlborough  Do\^tis,  and  dividing 
Wiltshire  from  Berkshire,  produces  a  variety  of  fish,  but  its 
trout  have  been  long  celebrated  both  for  size  and  flavour.  One 
fish,  of  the  extraordinary  weight  of  seventeen  pounds,  caught  in 
the  Kennet,  was  accepted  by  Queen  Charlotte  as  a  present  from 
Lord  Craven.* 

In  Wordsworth's  poems  is  a  chivalrous  legend  of  the  horn  of 
Egremont  Castle :  other  horns  of  tenure  are,  the  Pusey  and 
Borstal  horns,  those  of  the  forests  of  Savernake,  Wirral,  and 
Delamere,  and  Lj-ulplfs  horn  at  York.  Conway  Castle,  founded 
by  King  Edward  I.  beautifidly  situated  on  the  estuary  of  a  river 
abounding  with  excellent  trout,  is  held  of  the  Crown  by  Owen 
Holland  at  an  annual  rent,  and  a  dish  of  fish  to  the  Earl  of 
Hertford  as  often  as  he  passes  through  the  town.f 

Peterchurch,  in  Herefordshire,  is  situated  on  the  river  Dore,  a 
celebrated  trout  stream,  and  the  figure  of  a  large  trout  with  a 
chain  round  its  head  is  sculptured  on  the  western  wall  of  the 
nave  of  the  .church,  but  no  tradition  assigns  the  cause,  of  its 
position  in  that  place,  and  no  grant  of  a  fishery  is  recorded. 

Certain  lands  near  Helston  were  held  by  the  service  of  pro- 
viding a  fishing-boat,  with  nets,  fi)r  the  King's  use,  in  Loo-pool, 
when  the  sovereign  should  visit  Helston.  This  lake,  the  most 
considerable  in  Cornwall,  is  remarkable  for  a  peculiar  and  excel- 

•  Lysons's  Ikrkshire,  1813.  f  Gough's  Camden's  Britannia,  178.0. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  135 

I«-nt  •species  of  trout.  The  manor  of  Trutliall,  on  tlie  borders  of 
Lo<>-j)<K>l,  in  Sithney  parish,  belonged  to  the  Priory  of  St.  John's. 
Ik'rnard  Penrose,  the  last  prior,  died  in  1532.  The  family  of 
Penrose  of  Sithney  bore  for  arms,  ermine,  on  a  bend  azure  three 
roses  or ;  the  crest,  a  Loo  trout. 


This  family  became  extinct  in  the  elder  line  by  the  death  of 
John  Penrose,  Esq.  in  1744.  A  branch,  settled  at  Tregethon  in 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  still  remains.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Penrose, 
whose  early  poems  were  noticed  in  "  The  Pursuits  of  Literature,""' 
died  in  1779,  and  was  buried  at  Newbury.  Francis  Penrose, 
^LD.  and  John  Penrose,  M.A.  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  Ox- 
ford, were  also  authors. 

The  characteristic  features  of  the  country  are  the  most  usual 
source  whence  the  names  of  places  are  derived ;  rivers  and  hills 
retain  their  British  names,  and  those  of  manors  are  almost  always 
significant :  the  local  name  of  Trouts  in  Surrey,  another  in  Corn- 
wall, and  Trouts  dale  in  Yorkshire,  all  indicate  the  prevalence  of 
trout  in  their  streams. 

There  is  no  fish  that  deviates  so  much  as  the  trout ;  a  variety 
is  even  met  with  in  the  same  river ;  the  salmon-trout,  the  white- 
trout,  and  the  sea-trout,  all  differ  from  the  great  grey-trout  of 
the  lakes.  Like  the  salmon,  they  make  up  the  .stream  in  the 
sca,son,  when  numbers  enter  the  becks  or  burns  that  fall  into  the 
lakes  of  Cumberland.  The  trout  is  fond  of  those  swift  clear 
streams  :  where  it  is  well  known  to  anglers 

He  lifts  his  silver  gills  above  the  flood. 
And  greedily  sucks  in  th'  unfaithful  food. 

The  Troutbeck  of  Westmorland,  famous  for  the  excellence 
and  number  of  its  trout,  takes  its  rise  on  the  fells,  and  rushes 
throii^di  a  picturesque  and  wooded  glen  towards  Windernu-re, 
the  largest  of  the  English  lakes  :  this  stream  gave  name  to  a 
district  whence  sprang  the  ancient  family  «>f  Troutbeck.  Their 
arms,  yet  existing  amouLr  those  of  numerous  benefactors  in  the 
cloisters  of  Canterbury  Cathedral  in  the  reign  of  Henry  IV, 
exhibit  a  tasteful  method  of  disposing  the  fish  as  an  heraldic 


136 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


charge,  aziire,  three  trout  fretterl.  We  a  la  queue^  argent ;  the 
crest,  a  head  on  a  wreath  of  trout,  is  from  a  copy  of  Glover's 
Ordinary  of  Arms. 


In  the  Troutbeck  Chapel  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Chester 
were  formerly  sumptuous  monuments  in  memory  of  Sir  William 
Troutbeck,  who  was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Blore-heath  in  1459, 
and  of  his  son,  Sir  Adam  Troutbeck,  who  died  in  1512.  The 
heiresses  of  this  family  married  into  the  noblest  houses  of  the 
kingdom.  Margaret,  heiress  of  Sir  Adam  Troutbeck  of  Mobber- 
ley,  in  Cheshire,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  married  Sir  John 
Talbot  of  Grafton,  in  Worcestershire,  whose  lineal  descendant  is 
the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  These  arms  are  painted,  with  those  of 
other  alliances  of  this  illustrious  family,  on  the  walls  of  the  Talbot 
Grallery  at  Alton  Towers,  near  Cheadle  in  Staitbrdshire.  The 
same  arms,  illustrative  of  descent,  are  quartered  by  the  Marquess 
of  Anglesev,  K.G.  and  are  included  in  the  quarterings  borne  In" 
Sir  Ralph  Coningsby  of  North  Minis,  in  Hertfordshire,  described 
by  Peacham  as  a  worthy  gentleman,  well  deserving  and  beloved 
of  his  country.*  The  representative  of  this  family  was  the  late 
Earl  of  Essex,  who  inherited  Hanipton  Court,  in  Herefordshire, 
the  principal  seat  of  the  Couingsbys. 

The  institutions  of  chivalry,  of  uncertain  origin,  can  be  traced 
to  the  eleventh  century,  and  acquired  full  vigour  during  the 
crusades.  With  chivalry,  the  proiifress  of  whieh  has  been  com- 
pared to  a  river, f  orl'j-inated  those  maxims  and  ceremonials  which 

•  Booke  of  Blazoning  Armes,  1G30.        +  Ilurd's  Lottorson  Chi\-alry  aiiJ  Romance,  ITGi 


TIIE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


137 


were  contlensetl  into  a  co'le  of  laws  for  tliC  tournament ;  and 
unive  importance  to  all  distinctions  of  rank  wiiere  the  great  utility 
of  heraldry  was  acknowledged.  The  knights  assumed  the  most 
costly  apparel,  wearing  over  their  armour  a  tahard,  with  their 
arms  embroidered  on  it  in  briUiant  colours. 

The  art  of  arming  v/ith  despatch  and  caution,  necessary  for 
the  protection  of  their  persons,  dem-andcd  much  skill  and  ability. 
A  beautiful  illumination  exists  of  Sir  Geffrey  Luttrell  preparing  for 
a  tournament,  in  which  a  L^dy  presents  his  tilting  helmet,  and 
another  holds  his  emblazoned  shield.*  A  scarcely  less  inter- 
esting document,  and  one  of  importance  for  the  illustration  of 
heraldry,  is  a  Roll  of  the  Kings,  Bannerets,  and  Knights  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VLt  This  manuscript  commences  with  King 
William  the  Conqueror,  who  is  represented  landing  from  his 
ship,  and  is  followed  by  all  the  Kings  of  England,  down  to 
Henry  YI. ;  the  bannerets  in  their  surcoats  of  arms,  with  their 
banners  emblazoned,  and  the  knights  mounted  on  horses  with 
caparisons  bearing  their  armt?,  and  engaged  in  apparent  combat. 


*TStoragfc£c,io^ 


The  arms  of  Troutbock  on  the  tabard  of  the  knight  and  on 
the  housings,  here  given  from  this  curious  mauuscrii)t,  diti'er  from 


•  In  the  Luttrell  Psiiltcr,  and  enijravod  in  Carter's  Ancient  Scnlpture  and  Paintinj?, 
and  in  the  Vetusw  Monumenta. 

t  In  the  British  Must-iun,  Ilarl.  MS.  420.5. 


138  THE  HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

the  usual  method  of  bearing  the  fish.  Those  of  Hamme,  vert, 
two  luces  endorsed  argent,  are  the  arms  of  a  Suifolk  family, 
assumed  from  a  reference  to  the  Latin  hamus,  or  the  French 
hanie^on,  a  fis-h-hook,  punning  upon  the  name. 

Amongst  freshwater  fish  the  trout  is  acknowledged  to  be 
preeminent  in  beauty ;  and,  as  it  is'  the  object  of  the  herald  to 
show  the  finest  species  in  his  designs,  when  the  particular  fish 
are  not  described,  trout  are  presumed  to  be  intended. 

The  family  of  Freshwater  were  fonnerly  seated  at  Tollesbury, 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Blackwater  in  Essex ;  in  the  church  of 
which  is  a  memorial  brass  of  Thomas  Freshwater,  who  died  in 
1517.  The  family  afterwards  resided  at  Heybridge,  higher  up 
on  the  same  river,  and  bore  for  arms,  azure,  a  fess  ermine  be- 
tween two  fish  argent  ;  crest,  two  fish  in  saltier  argent,  their 
tails  in  chief  enfiled  with  a, coronet  or. 

Azure,  five  fish  hauriant  or,  three  and  two,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Freshacre ;  and,  gules,  three  fish  in  pale  between 
ten  cross  crosslets  fitchy,  are  the  arms  of  Ostreche  of  London. 
Azure,  a  trout  in  bend  argent,  speckled  gules,  between  six 
mullets  of  the  second,  the  arms  of  the  French  family  of  Orcival, 
are  given  by  Palliot  as  an  instance  of  the  heraldic  term  mar- 
quete,  or  speckled.  Vert,  three  trout  hauriant  or,  spotted  gules, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Dogge.  That  of  Osborne  of  Lon- 
don bears,  argent,  on  a  bend  sable,  three  trout  or, 

Germany  watered  by  many  noble  rivers,  produces  abundance 
of  trout  in  perfection  :  this  fish  is  borne  in  the  arms  of  several 
ancient  princes  of  the  Empire,  and  is  also  more  used  by  families 
as  an  heraldic  ensign  than  in  England,  where  freshwater  fish  are 
in  less  esteem.  Two  golden  trout  depicted  on  a  red  banner 
was  the  territorial  ensign  of  the  old  Counts  of  Mumpelgard, 
or  Montbeillard,  in  Burgimdy.  Henrica,  their  heiress,  married 
Everhard  Count  of  ^Virtemberg,  in  1397,  by  which  alliance  this 
fief  afterwards  became  annexed  to  his  dominions. 

The  Counts  of  Wirtemberg,  the  comites  or  chosen  friends  of 
the  Emperor,  descended  from  Conrad,  created  by  Henry  IV.  in 
1110.  Ulric,  who  added  considerably  to  his  domain,  was  made 
-Standard-bearer  of  the  Empire  in  1336.  The  important  seig- 
nories  of  Teck  and  Heidcidieim  were  subsequentlv  acciuired  by 
Count  Everhard  VI.  founder  of  the  L^niversity  of  Tubingen,  who 
was  created  Duke  of  Wirtemberg  and  Teek  by  the  Emperor 
Maximilian,  at  the  celebrated  Diet  of  Worms  in  1 4-1)5. 

The  Duke's  arms,  environed  by  the  collar  of  the  Order  of  the 


THE    HERALDRY   OF   FISH. 


139 


GoUlen  Fleece,  the  most  ancient  collar  of  kniglitliooJ,  are  on  his 
tomb  in  the  cathedral  of  Tubingen.* 


.•f^T^N^"'   ^'*'/>?^"^   J 


/;-. 


Frederic,  the  JMagJianimous,  Duke  of  Wlrtemberg,  the  patri- 
arch of  the  modem  Stutgardian,  Neustadian  and  Julian  houses, 
received  the  Order  of  the  Garter  from  King  James  in  1603. 
The  ceremonial  of  his  investment  at  Stutgard,  by  Robert  Lord 
Spencer  of  Wormleighton,  is  detailed  in  Ashmole's  History  of 
the  Order. 

In  1797  Prince  Frederic  William,  son  of  the  reigning  Duke 
of  Wirtemborg,  married  the  Princess  Royal  of  England,  and 
succeeded  to  the  dukedom  in  the  same  year.  The  Duke  was 
elevated  to  the  Electoral  dignity  in  1803,  and  finally  proclaimed 
King  of  Wirtemberg  1  Jan.  180G.  In  the  arms  of  the  kingdom 
the  trout  are  still  borne,  showing  the  territorial  acquisition. 

*  Quarterly,  1.  Or,  throe  attires  of  a  stag  fesswise  ami  in  pale  sable,  for  Wirtemberg 
Duchy.  2.  Bendy  fusilly  or  and  siible,  for  the  seiirnorj-  of  Teck.  3.  Azure,  the  Impe- 
rial banner  fixed  to  its  st.itT  in  liend,  for  the  herediuiry  office  of  Sundard-l»earer.  4. 
Gules,  two  trout  addorsed  and  in  pale  or,  for  ^Montbcillard.  The  crests  are  those  of  Wir- 
temberg and  Teck  :  the  first  for  the  office  of  Great  Huntsman  of  the  Empire,  a  hunting- 
horn,  with  estri'.h  feathers  in  the  mouth,  in  allusion  to  the  risiht  of  hawkinj. 


140 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


The  arms  of  the  soignory  of  Pfirdt,*  one  of  the  hereditary  fiefs 
of  the  house  of  Austria,  are  shown  on  a  banner  borne  by  a 
cavalier  in  the  Triumph  of  the  Emperor  MaximiHan. 


The  whole  procession,  designed  by  Hans  Burgmair,  about 
1512,  is  contained  in  one  hundred  and.  twenty-nine  subjects,  cut 
on  wood  by  several  engravers.  The  painter,  with  a  richness  of 
capacity  and  perfect  knowledge  of  art,  has  shown  every  grade  of 
rank  in  this  magnificent  cavalcade,  which  is  composed  of  amulti- 

*  Gules  two  tr.)ut  adJorscd  or,  and  crest,  a  demi-woman  between  two  trout  erect, 
their  tails  ujnvard-  Those  arms  have  been  mentioned  at  page  72,  but  the  fish  are 
certainly  trout,  and   the  name  of  tlie  fief  is  here  spelt  according  to  the  German  authority. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  141 

tinlo  of  figures  in  dresses  of  ceremony,  groups  of  horses  and  men 
combined  with  masterly  skill,  each  in  proper  action.  The  picto- 
rial effect  of  this  grand  work  of  art  is  greatly  increased  by  the 
careful  dehneation  of  the  ai-mour  and  weapons,  and  not  less 
by  the  attention  paid  to  the  endless  variety  of  the  heraldry  on 
the  tabards  and  banners  of  the  different  counts  and  officers  of 
state.  Pfirdt  being  one  of  those  fiefs  in  which  the  Emperor 
made  war,  the  cavalier  bearing  this  banner  is  represented  in 
armour  designed  after  the  ancient  manner  and  crowned  with  a 
chaplet  of  honour.  Amongst  the  heralds  in  the  same  procession 
is  that  of  Pfirdt,  in  a  tabard  of  arms,  and  bearing  his  baton. 

Heraldic  composition  in  Germany  was  the  employment  of 
highly  talented  artists,  and  many  other  works  of  that  country 
might  be  referred  to  as  affording  examples  of  superior  taste. 

The  Counts  of  Stolborg,  in  Sachsen,  quartered  with  their  ovni 
paternal  arms  those  of  the  seignory  of  AVernigerode,  which,  with 
the  castle,  accrued  to  them  in  1329  ;  argent,  two  trout  hauriant 
and  respecting  each  other  gules :  arms  which  are  reported  to 
have  been  assumed  in  allusion  to  the  hereditary  office  of  Master 
Fishers  of  the  Empire,  held  by  the  Counts  of  Wernigerode. 

Azure,  a  fish  in  fess  argent,  and  a  chief  or,  are  borne  by  the 
French  family  of  Vaillant.  Of  this  name  were,  John  Foi  Vail- 
lant,  the  celebrated  medallist,  and  his  son,  Sebastian  Vaillant, 
the  no  less  distinguished  naturalist.  As  a  crest,  a  trout  naiant 
is  borne  by  the  family  of  Hoddy ;  and  a  swan  with  wings  en- 
dorsed or  rousant,  devouring  a  trout,  is  the  crest  of  Jane,  or 
Jeane. 


The  arms  of  Oliver,  or,  a  chevron  azure  between  two  hurts 
in  chief,  and  a  trout  naiant  in  base,  appear  in  one  of  the  Avin- 
dows  of  AiTna^h  Cathedral. 

Even  the  simplest  means  of  taking  li-h  luv  a>-umed  a^  armo- 
rial bearings,  either  with  a  territorial  -alI»i>iMn  to  the  situation  of 
the  manor,  or  as  a  play  upon  the  family  name. 


142  THE   HERALDRY  OF  FISH. 

Fishing  is  one  of  the  emplojTnents  depicted  on  the  monuments 
of  Egypt.  The  Nile,  and  the  artificial  lakes  of  that  interesting 
country,  afforded  a  supply,  which  has  not  failed  in  modern  times ; 
the  waters  of  Menzaleh  abound  in  fish,  and  the  Arabs  say, 
that  the  varieties  of  fish  in  this  lake  exceed  in  number  the  days 
of  the  year :  although  this  may  be  deemed  an  exaggeration,  it 
is  certain,  that  whatever  be  the  number  of  their  species,  the 
■fishes  of  this  lake  multiply  infinitely.  A  kind  of  trout,  still 
regarded  as  a  delicacy  in  Egypt,  was  preserved  in  covered 
vessels,  to  save  it  from  being  injured  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  : 
this  is  shown  in  a  representation  of  a  fisherman  taking  his  store 
to  market,  engraved  in  CaUiaud's  "  Researches  on  the  Arts  of 

Egypt;;*  y 

Angling,  as  a  sport,  was  highly  esteemed  among  the  Romans, 
who  had  their  fish-pools  iand  preserves  filled  with  choice  fish  ; 
and  it  is  known  that  fishing  was  a  favourite  amusement  of  the 
Emperor  Augustus.  In  the  splendour  of  his  appointments  may 
have  originated  the  expression  of  fishing  with  a  golden  hook, 
and  the  gorgeous  colouring  frequently  given  by  poets  to  the 
emplojrment  of  the  angler. 

The  pleasant'st  angling  is,  to  see  the  fish 
Cut  with  her  golden  oars  the  silver  stream, 
And  greedily  devour  the  treacherous  barb. 

A  fisherman  with  his  rod  and  line,  in  a  boat,  from  an  antique 
in  the  Maflfei  Collection  at  Verona,  has  been  engraved,-f-  and  also 
a  beautiful  painting  of  Venus  and  Cupid  angling,  foimd  in  the 
house  of  the  Tragic  poet  at  Pompeii.:|: 

The  sea-bream  and  the  gilthead  are  the  common  fish  of  the 
Mediterranean,  taken  by  anglers  ;  the  last,  called  the  dorade, 
was  consecrated  to  Venus.  A  species  of  perch,§  also  common  in 
that  sea,  is  of  a  brilliant  scarlet  colour,  but  with  a  very  strong 
spinal  fin,  and,  from  the  resemblance  of  this  spine  to  a  razor,  it  is 
named  h  harlh  r.  This  fish  is  held  sacred  among  the  divers  for 
marine  productions,  and  when  caught  by  a  hook,  it  is  instantly 
relieved  by  the  rest  of  the  shoal  cutting  the  line  of  the  angler 
with  their  sharp  spines. 

Massaniello,  the  celebrated  fi^llerman  of  Naples,  whose  resist- 
ance to  the  Spanish  authority  raised  him  to  temporary  distinc- 
tion, and  has  given  him  a  place  in  history,  was  an  angler  by  trade, 
and  retailed  his  small  fish  in  the  market.  . 

*  Copied  in  the  Atlioua;um  for  1837.  t  Montfaufon's  Antiquities. 

X  Sir  William  Cell's  Pouipeiiina,  vol.  ii.  §   Serranus  Antliias  of  Cuvier. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  143 

Emblematically,  fish  represent  silence  and  watchfiilness. 
Mute  as  a  fish,  is  proverbial ;  and  the  practice  of  auglers  involves 
a  proportionate  artifice,  in  allusion  to  which  Guillim,  the  herald, 
indulges  a  remark,  that,  "  of  this  trade  there  are  more  in  the 
world  than  will  acknowledge  themselves  of  the  Company  of 
Fishermen," 

In  Germany,  women  in  armorial  bearings  are  not  uncommon, 
although  rarely  found  in  the  heraldry  of  England  or  France. 
Azure,  a  woman,  habited  in  the  German  fashion,  holding  two 
fish  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Roteu,  of  Aubrach  in 
Franconia. 


Manors  situated  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  lakes,  or  trout-streams, 
affording  fishing  stations,  command  the  finest  scenery,  combin- 
ing often  the  sublime,  beautiful,  and  picturesque.  The  power 
of  waters,  says  Wordsworth,  over  the  minds  of  poets  has 
been  acknowledged  from  the  earliest  ages ;  through  the  "  Flu- 
mina  amem  sylvasque  inglorius"  of  Virgil,*  down  to  the  sublime 
apostrophe  to  the  great  rivers  of  the  earth  by  Armstrong,  and  the 
simple  ejaculation  of  Burns. 

The  Muse,  nae  poet  ever  fiuiJ  her. 
Till  by  himsel'  he  learned  to  wander 
Adown  some  trotting  bum's  meander. 

M.  Soumet,  a  modern  French  author,  bears  arms  perfectly  in 
unison  with  the  poet's  attachment  to  the  trout  stream.  Azure, 
the  h-re  of  Apollo  or,  on  a  chief  gides.  a  trout  naiaut.  These, 
with  the  arms  of  his  contemporaries,  are  in  the  staine<l  glass 
windows  of  the  Pavilion  Saint  James,  erected  by  M.  Beauchesne 
in  the  environs  of  Paris. -f 

•  Georgics,  lib.  ii. 

t  See  an  interestini:  description  of  L<-  Maitoir  dc  Baimhtsiu-  in  La  Presso,  April 
1C41  :  with  the  anus  of  coiiU>mporary  poets.  Sir  Waller  Scott,  with  llie  same  feeling* 
onriclied  Abbotsfoi-d  with  the  arms  of  his  friends  iind  touip;uiions. 


144 


THE   HEfiALDUY   OF    FISH. 


A  cubit  arm  iioldinsf  a  trout,  is  the  crest  of  the  fomily  of 
Gibbens,  assimieti  perhnps,  in  reference  to  tlie  French  A\ord 
gibier,  game.  The  crest  of  the  family  of  Peat  is  a  hand  hokhng 
a  fish. 

Heraldry  aimed  chiefly  at  a  simple  illustration  of  the  name  of 
the  family,  or  teri-itorial  possessions  from  wliich  the  names  were 
derived.  Fish-hooks,  when  borne  in  arms,  probably  allude  to, the 
chief  employment  on  the  estate,  near  one  of  those  streams,  the 
importance  of  whic!:  has  been  shown. 

The  arms  of  the  family  of  Bosdon  are,  argent;  a  fess  between 
three  fish-hooks  sable.  Argent,  a  fess  sable,  between  three  fish- 
hooks gules,  are  tlie  arms  of  Penkerth,  a  family  perhaps  orio-i- 
nally  of  Peuketh,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mersey  of  Lancashire. 
Sable,  a  chevron  between  three  fish-hooks  argent,  are  the  arms 
of  Medville,  a  name  referring  to  a  situation  on  water,  either  a 
river  or  a  lake. 


The  motto  to  the  arms  of  Kilrenny,  an  ancient  fishing  town 
in  Fifeshire,  is  indicative  of  the  perseverance  necessary  to  the 
fisherman.  "  Semper  tibi  pendeat  hamus,"  let  the  hook  always 
be  hung  out. 

A  fish-hook  was  the  cognizance  of  William  Nevile,  Lord  Fau- 
conberg,  K.G.  which  is  noticed  in  some  contemporary  political 
verses,  "  The  Fisher  has  lost  his  angle  hook,"  adverting  to  his 
capture  by  the  French  \\]wn  sent  andjnssador  to  Normandy 
.to  treat  for  peace.*  By  King  Edward  IV.  this  nobleman  was 
created  Earl' of  Kent,  and  made  Lord  Admiral  of  England. 

Azure,. an  angling-hook  argent,  are  the  punning  arms  of  tlie 
German  family  of  Angelloch,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine. 
Hooks,  the  well-known  ini[)lenients  of  angling,  a  later  invention 
than    the    trout-sj)ear,   were    originally  of  ruile    form,   either   of 

*  E-xccrptii  Hibtorica. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  145 

l)onc  or  the  hardest  wood,  exhihitincr  a  .striking  contrast  to  the 
fiiielj-tempered  and  poh'shed  Limerick  liooks  of  the  present  day. 
The  art  of  angling,  now  reduced  to  perfection,  owes  much  to 
that  amiahle  enthusiast,  Izaak  Walton,  whose  works  have  made 
many  disciples  besides  the  Walton  and  Cotton  Club,  instituted 
in  1817.  Their  badge,  representing  an  angler  with  his  attend- 
ant, and  the  motto,  "  Dum  capimus,  capimur,"  is  engraved  in 
Mr.  Jesse's  "  Angler's  Rambles."  The  Walton  Club  of  New- 
castle have  assumed  an  heraldic  device,  the  arms  of  that  town, 
impaling  argent,  three  trout  naiant  counter  naiant. 


THE  SMELT.  ^-  ' 

The  smelt  is  taken  in  abundance  in  the  river  Humber  and  on 
the  coast  of  Lincolnshire,  and  is  in  great  request  from  its  delicate 
and  peculiar  flavour ;  in  colour,  the  back  of  the  fish  is  pale 
green,  and  the  lower  part  silvery  white.  Azure,  a  chevron 
between  three  smelts  naiant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  York- 
shire families  of  Smelt  of  Kirby  Fleetham,  near  Catterick  ;  and 
of  Beverley. 


Spiering,  the  Dutch  name  for  smelt,  nearly  approaches  that 
by  which  this  little  fish  is  distinguished  in  Scotland,  the  spar- 
ling, found  in  great  plenty  in  the  Frith  of  Forth  and  the  river 
Tay.  *  Or,  three  sparlings,  or  smelts,  hauriant,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Sparling  of  Fdton  Hall,  in  Sliropshire.  '^  West- 
ward for  Smelts,"  is  the  title  of  a  book  of  tales  of  dittorent  fish- 
women,  as,  "  The  Fish-wife's  Tale  of  Brc-ntford,"  &c.  printed  in 
1620.      Few,  if  any,  smelts  are  now  found  in  the  Thames, 


L 


146 


THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 


THF.   GRAYLING. 

The  Grayling  is  a  specie's  of  trout,  but  it  is  found  that  manv 
rivers  abounding  witli  trout  do  not  contain  grayling.  A  certain 
peculiarity  of  its  local  distribution  in  England  gave  rise  to  a 
supposition  that  the  grayling  had  been  introduced  by  the  monks, 
by  whom,  it  was  held  in  estoera.  Saint  Ambrose  named  the 
grayling  the  floiver  of  fish,  from  its  pleasing  colour  and  agreeable 
smell.  This  fish  is  presumed  to  be  intended-  in  the  arms  of 
Cardinal  Bentivenga,  in  which  the  rose  is  also  introduced  and 
commented  upon  in  these  lines  to  his  memory : 

Beutivenga  sacra  est  hac  purpura  amictus  ;  in  unda 
Ludentem  piscem  respice  et  inde  rosas. 

He  was  confessor  to  Pope  Nicholas  III.  and  died  in  1289.  His 
arms,  azure,  a  fish  naiant  argent,  on  a  chief  or,  a  chevron  sable 
between  two  roses,*  were  surmounted  by  the  cardinaFs  hat, 
then  a  novelty,  it  having  been  first  worn  at  the  interview  be- 
tween the  Pope  and  Louis  IX.  of  France,  at  Lyons  in  1247. 


The  supposition  that  must  of  the  rivers  which  contain  gray- 
ling flow  near  the  remains  of  monasteries  is  incorrect ;  as  this 
fish    is    not  found  in  the   rivers    of  Kent,   Dorsetshire,   Devon- 

*  Ciaconius,  Hist,  of  the  Popos,  1670. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  147 

shire,  or  Cornwall,  where  conventual  edifices  were  formerly  nu- 
merous. One  of  the  sources  of  the  river  Severn  is  named  the 
Graylin. 

A  hand  holding  a  fish,  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Grayley,  or 
Grelley,  of  Lancashire,  is  doubtless  a  play  upon  the  name ;  also, 
the  arms  of  the  Kentish  family  of  Graydon,  argent,  on  a  che\Ton 
azure,  between  three  otters  sable,  each  devouring  a  fish,  as  many 
otter-spears  or ;  the  crest,  a  demi-otter  devouring  a  fish :  the 
motto,  "  Ad  escam  et  usum,"  for  food  and  use,  alludes,  seemingly, 
to  the  employment  of  the  otter  for  the  purpose  of  catching  fish. 

In  heraldry  the  gi-ayling  are  termed  umber-fish,  from  their 
French  name  omlre ;  and  the  punning  arms  of  the  family  of 
Umbrell  are  argent,  three  umber-fish  naiant. 


The  general  colour  of  this  fish  is  a  bright  bro^vni,  beautiflilly 
varied  with  gold  and  green  reflexions  in  different  lights ;  its 
name  grayling  is  supposed  to  have  reference  to  the  gray  lines 
along  the  body  of  the  fish. 

THE    OTTER. 

Guillim  mentions  a  shield  of  arms  in  one  of  the  svindows  of 
the  hall  of  New  Inn,  London,  argent,  a  beaver  erect  sable, 
armed  gules,  devouring  a  fish  ;  but,  from  the  known  habits  of 
the  beaver,  it  is  presumed  that  an  otter  must  have  been  in- 
tended. Beavers  feed  entirely  on  vegetables ;  the  otter,  on  the 
contrary,  lives  exclusively  on  fish,  frequenting  small  streams  and 
lakes,  and  in  search  of  its  prey  swims  an«l  dives  with  peculiar 
ease  and  elegance  : 

The  amphibious  monster  ranges  all  the  shores. 
Darts  through  the  waves,  and  evi-ry  haunt  explores. 


148 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


Three  otters  passant,  in  pale,  oacli  devonring  a  fisli,  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Proude  of  Canterbury,  are  sculptured  on  the 
arched  ceihng  of  the  beautiful  cloisters  of  the  cathedral  in  that 
citv. 


The  name  of  Proude  may  have  the  same  origin  with  that 
of  the  Prud-homme,  who  among  fishermen  is  chosen  to  preside 
over  the  community. 

From  the  French  word  loutre^  an  otter,  this  animal  was 
assumed  in  the  insignia  of  the  family  of  Luttrell,  argent,  a  fess 
between  three  otters  sable,  being  the  arms  ;  and  an  otter  devour- 
ing a  fish,  the  crest.  They  were  seated  at  Irnham  in  Lincoln- 
shire, and  Robert  Luttrell  of  Irnham  was  summoned  to  Parlia- 
ment in  the  reign  of  Edward  L  One  of  the  branches  inherited 
Dunster  Castle,  in  Somersetshire,  from  the  Mohuns ;  and  an- 
other obtained  the  castle  and  estate  of  Luttrells-town  in  Ireland, 
from  which  last  branch  were  descended  the  Earls  of  Carhamp- 
■ton.  Otters  are  also  borne  in  arms  by  the  family  of  Hartopp, 
baronets. 

Sable,  a  che^Ton  vaire,  or  and  gules,  between  three  otters 
passant  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Lotysham  of  Somerset- 
shire, which  bears  for  crest  an  otter^s  head  devouring  a  fish. 

The  otter  makes  incredible  havoc  among  fish,  a  main  induce- 
ment to  keep  up  the  ancient  sport  of  otter-hunting  with  hounds 
bred  for  the  purpose  : 

Would  you  preserve  a  numerous  finny  race. 
Let  your  tierce  dogs  the  ravenous  otter  chase. 

In  this  sport  the  otter-spears  are  used  ;  and  after  the  chase 
the  animal  is  borne  home  in  triumph.  The  crest  of  the  family  of 
Homfray  of  Wales  near  Rotlu-rhani  in  Yorkshire,  is  an  otter 
passant,   wounded  in  the  shoulder ;    and  azure,   a   dexter   hand 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  149 

holding  on  the  point  of  a  sword,  argent,  an  otter's  head  couped 
or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Fender. 

Ermine,  a  chevron  between  tliree  otters'  heads  couped  sable, 
a  chief  vert,  are  the  arms  of  the  northern  family  of  Otterbourne  ; 
a  name  derived  from  a  stream  near  Hexham,  one  of  the  haunts 
of  the  otter,  and  rendered  memorable  as  the  scene  of  the  battle 
of  Chevy  Chase. 

Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  otters'  heads  erased  sable, 
are  the  original  arms  of  the  family  of  Balfour  of  Scotland  ;  and  a 
castle  argent,  having  on  the  battlement  a  ■\voman  attired  gules, 
holding  an  otter's  head,  is  the  crest  of  Balfour  of  Grange. 
Argent,  three  otters'  heads  erased  gules,  are  the  anus  of  Ful- 
larton  of  Ayrshire.  In  the  beautiful  stained  glass  windows  of 
the  old  manor-house  at  Ockwells,  near  Bray,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Thames,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Norreys,  with  the 
supporters,  two  otters  collared  and  chained,  each  devouring  a 
fish.  Two  otters  argent,  were  assumed  for  supporters  of  the 
arras  of  James  Brydges,  the  princely  Duke  of  Chandos. 

The  Salters'  Company,  incorporated  in  the  year  1530,  obtained 
subsequently  the  addition  to  their  arms  of  supporters,  which 
are  two  otters  sable  bezanty,  ducally  collared  and  chained  or. 
Two  otters  are  also  used  as  supporters  to  their  arms  by  the 
Scottish  family  of  Kinloch,  with  a  mermaid  for  a  crest.* 

The  sea-dog  of  heraldry  is  no  other  than  the  male  or  dog 
otter,  being  a  four-footed  animal,  but  is  drawn,  according  to 
heraldic  fancy,  with  a  broad  fin  continued  down  the  back  from 
the  head  to  the  tail ;  the  feet  webbed,  and  its  whole  body,  legs, 
and  tail  covered  with  scales.  In  the  northern  parts  of  the  king- 
dom the  otters  frequent  the  sea,  and  are  known  to  extend  their 
rambles  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore.  Three  sea- 
dogs  or  marine  otters  are  borne  in  the  arms  of  Fennor  of  Sussex, 
and  in  the  arms  of  Harry  of  Cornwall. 

Lord  Stourton,  whose  title  is  derived  from  a  manor  watered 
by  a  stream  abounding  with  trout,  has  for  supporters  to  his  arms 
two  sea-dogs,  or  otters;  and  a  sea  dog's  head  is  the  crest  of  the 
anciwit  family  of  Broughton. 

•  Nisbft. 


150 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


VI. 

The  Herring,  a  sea  fish,  derives  its  name  from  Jiairang,  au 
old  French  word  implying  troop  or  army.  The  deep  seas  sv\-arm 
with  herrings,  which  usually  appear  together  in  large  numbers, 
and  in  due  season  visit  the  coast  of  every  region  of  the  globe. 

Herring  fisheries  were  of  importance  in  the  eleventh  century 
as  a  source  of  revenue.  Hugh  de  Montefort's  manors  in  Suffolk 
yielded  numerous  rents  of  herrings  ;  the  manor  of  Beccles  in 
that  county,  in  King  Edward  the  Confessor^s  time,  yielded  thirtv 
thousand  herrings  to  the  abbey  of  Saint  Edmund,  and  in  William 
the  Conqueror's  time  this  revenue  was  increased  to  sixty  thou- 
sand herrings.* 

Yarmouth  has  long  been  the  great  mart  for  herrings,  and 
of  the  fishery  the  Barons  of  the  Cinque  Ports  were  the  original 


lords.-f-  King  John,  the  great  patron  of  commerce  in  Norfolk, 
having  granted  the  burgesses  of  Yarmouth  a  charter,  they  after- 
wards assumed  the  exclusive  right  of  the  fishery  for  herrings, 
and,  as  indicating  this  right,  the  old  seal  of  the  borough  bears 
a  fishing-boat,  uith  the  herrings  in  the  sea  beneath. 

*  Introduttiou  to  Domesday  Book,  by  feir  Henry  Ellis. 
+  Lyon's  f  listorj-  of  Dover. 


TRE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


151 


Thomas  Nash,  a  SiiiFolk  poet  of  the  time  of  Queen  EHzabeth, 
quaintly  assumes,  in  his  "  Herring's  Tayle/''  that  "  this  fishery 
brings  more  ships  to  Yarmouth  than  v/ere  assembled  at  Troy  to 
fetch  back  Helen."  The  expert  and  persevering  fishermen  of 
tiiis  town  are  still  unrivalled  in  the  herring  fishery,  which  now 
employs  about  two  hundred  fishing  vessels ;  and  the  quantity  of 
herrings  cured,  red  or  oiiioke-dried,  is  said  to  have  sometimes 
amounted  to  one  hundred  thousand  barrels  in  a  year. 

In  1352  the  burgesses  of  Yarmouth  granted  the  College  of 
St.  George  at  Windsor  a  last  of  red  herrings^  to  be  delivered 
annually  ;  and  in  1671,  when  King  Charles  II.  visited  this  town, 
the  Corporation  presented  his  Majesty  with  four  golden  herrings 
and  a  gold  chain. 

The  priory  of  the  Black  Friars  at  Yarmouth,  founded  about 
the  year  1270,  bad  some  franchise  or  right  of  fishery  conceded  to 
the  convent.-  The  herrings  appear  upon  the  seal  of  the  priory, 
which  bears  also  the  Yirgin  j\Iary,  between  Saint  Dominic  and 
Saint  Nicholas,  patrons  of  the  convent  and  town. 


At  Ileringflc'te,  in  Sutlulk,  was  a  priory  of  Austin  canons,  and 
al«!o  near  Yarmouth  was  the  hospital  or  college  of  Heringhv, 
both  very  probably  supjiorted  by  the  produce  of  the  fishery. 


152  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISIL 

Azure,  three  herrings  uaiani  argent,  were  the  original  arms  of 
the  borough  of  Yarmouth :  the  Corporation  at  present  bear  for 
arms,  party  per  pale  gules  and  azure,  three  demi-lions  passaut 
guardant  or,  conjoined  with  as  many  demi-henings  argent. 

An  Italian,  eating  a  capon  on  a  fast-day,  termed  it  "  pesce 
d"'una  corte,"  a  fish  from  a  coop  ;  but,  reversing  this  expression, 
the  herring,  from  its  noted  mart,  is  called  a  Yarmouth  capon. 

Lowestoil,  a  town  situated  on  the  most  easterly  point  of  land 
in  England,  partakes  with  Yarmouth  the  trade  in  the  fishery 
and  curing  of  herrings  :  a  Lowestoft  fisherman's  toast,  even  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Reformation,  was. 

Here  's  to  his  Holiness  the  Pope,  with  his  triple  crown, 
With  niae  dollars  each  for  every  cask  in  the  town  ; 

the  nine  dollars  having  reference  to  the  price  at  which  it  was 
hoped  the  herrings  >vould  sell  per  barrel  on  their  arrival  in  Italy. 

The  ancient  town  of  Dunwich,  on  the  coast  of  Suftblk,  now 
ruined  by  the  encroachments  of  the  sea,  had  a  considerable 
herring  fishery  ;  and  the  seal  of  Robert,  BaiUff  of  Dunwich  in 
the  year  1218,  bears  the  fish.* 

The  staple  trade  of  the  town  of  Southwold,  in  the  same 
county,  was  greatly  dJminished  in  consequence  of  the  Reform- 
ation ;  fast-days  had  ceased  to  be  so  frequently  observed,  and 
the  demand  for  herrings  had  decreased.  A  token,  struck  at 
Southwold  in  1667,  bears  the  fish  in  allusion  to  the  trade. 


The  royal  burgh  of  Inverary,  at  the  head  of  Loch  Fyne, 
has  a  considerable  herring  fishery.  It  was  incorporated  by  King 
Charles  I  ;  and  the  arms  of  the  town  ai-e,  the  waves  of  the 
loch,  in  which  is  suspended  a  scan  with  five  herrings  entangled 
in  it,  typical  of  its  chief  produce. 

The  Royal  Company  of  Fishing,  established  in  Scotland  by 
King  Charles  II,  bore  a[)propriately  for  arms,  azure,  two  her- 
rings in  saltier,  surmounted  by  an  imperial  crown  or,  with  the 
motto,  "  Messis  ab  alto,"  Our  harvest  is  from  the  deep.  The  great 
herring  fishery  in  Scotland  was,  in  reality,  founded  by  the  Britlsli 
•  Engraved  in  Giuilncr's  History  of  Diinwich,  17.54. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  ir)o 

Fisliery  Society  in  1786,  for  the  express  purpose  of  forming  sta- 
tions in  the  highlands  and  islands  of  North  Britain. 

The  celebrated  South  Sea  Company,  established  in  1711,  for 
encouraging  the  fishery,  bears  for  arms,  azure,  a  globe,  on  which 
are  depicted  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  Cape  Horn ;  on  a  can- 
ton the  arms  of  Great  Britain ;  in  the  sinister  chief  point  t\yo 
herrings  in  saltier,  crowned  or :  and  the  crest,  a  ship  in  full  sail ; 
supporters,  on  the  dexter  side,  Britannia,*  and  on  the  sinister,  a 
fisherman  holding  in  his  hand  a  string  of  fish. 

The  colour  and  form  of  the  herring  are  beautifid  ;  the  back  is 
blue,  with  green  and  other  reflexions  when  viewed  in  different 
lights  ;  the  side  and  belly  of  the  fish  are  silvery  white.  As  a 
charge  in  heraldry,  the  herring  is  borne  in  reference  to  the  name 
by  several  families  of  antiquity. 

On  the  seal  of  John  Heringot  of  Westwell,  in  Kent,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  HI.  is  a  shield  with  a  border  charged  with  six 
herrings  ;  azure,  three  herrings  erect,  between  six  cross  crosslets 
fitchy  or,  the  arms  of  Heringod  of  Elmstead,  are  sculptured  on 
the  ceiling  of  the  cloisters  of  Canterbury  Cathedral  ;t  azure, 
semee  of  cross  crosslets,  six  herrings  naiant  in  pale  or,  are  the 
arms  of  Heringod  of  Icklesham,  in  Sussex,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  III. 

The  German  family  of  Heringh,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine, 
bear  for  arms,  argent,  three  herrings  in  bend  azure.;): 

The  arms  of  the  ancient  family  of  Heringham  also  show  the 
herrings,  as  a  play  upon  the  name. 


Gules,  three  herrings  hauriant  argent,  appear  in  stained  gla.-s 
amongst  the  quarterings  in  the   arms  of  the  first  Earl  of  Bed- 

*  The  earliest  representation  of  BritannLi,  a*  a  tutelar  goddess,  is  to  be  found  uiM>n  a 
incdiil  of  the  Eniixror  Conimndus. 

t   Willeiiu-nt's  llcr.il.lic  Nnute>.  J    VMwt. 


154 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


ford,  K.G.  ill  the  windows  of  the  cliapel  at  Chenies  in  Bncking- 
hamshire,  sliowing  his  descent  from  Sir  Joiin  Russell,  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  the  son  of  Sir  John  Russell  of  Kings- 
ton, in  Dorsetsliire,  and  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir 
John  Heringham  of  Chaldon,  in  tlie  same  county,  the  descendant 
of  a  family  seated  at  Chaldon  in  the  reign  of  John.  Langton 
Hering  and  Keringhton,  also  in  Dorsetshire,  seem  to  have  de- 
rived the  name  from  the  same  family. 

Gules,  crusilly,  three  herrings  hauriaut  argent,  were  the  arms 
of  Archbishop  Herring. 


Thomas  Herring,  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Herring,  Rector 
of  Walsoken,  in  Norfolk,  was  born  in  1691  :  as  chaplain  to  the 
King  he  attended  his  Majesty  George  II.  to  Cambridge,  in  172S, 
having  previously  preached  against  "  The  Beggar's  Opera."  He 
was  made  Bishop  of  Bangor  in  1737,  and  Archbishop  of  York 
in  174.3:  beidg  one  of  the  preachers  of  the  Honourable  Society 
of  Lincoln's  Inn.  his  arms,  as  Archbis^hop  of  York,  are  in  one 
of  the  stained  glass  windows  of  their  Hall.  In  1747  he  was 
created  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  ;  and,  residing  chiefly  at 
Croydon,  his  arms,  impaling  those  of  the  archiepiscopal  see, 
were  placed  in  the  Hall  of  that  palace. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


155 


Sable,  three  herrings  hauriant  argent,  a  chief  or,  were  the 
nniis  of  Sir  Thomas  Kytson,  Sheriff  of  London  in  1533,  who  held 
estates  in  the  counties  of  Suffolk,  Devon,  Dorset,  Somerset, 
and  Nottingham.  His  daughter,  Katherine,  married  Sir  John 
Spencer  of  WoiTnleighton,  in  Warwickshire,  one  of  the  ancestors 
of  the  Earl  Spencer ;  and  the  arms  of  Kytson,  typical  of  this 
descent,  are  quartered  in  the  achievement  of  that  noble  family. 
Sir  Thomas  Gage,  Baronet,  of  Hengrave,  in  Suffolk,  is  a  repre- 
sentative, through  the  noble  family  of  Darcy,  of  that  of  Kytson.* 
John  Gage  Eokewode,  Esq.  F.E.S.,  the  historian  of  Hengrave, 
and  son  of  Sir  Thomas  Gage,  the  sixth  Baronet,  has  taken  the 
name  and  arms  of  Rokewode. 

Vert,  a  herring  hauriant  argent,  were  the  arms  of  Benjamin 
Harenc,  Esq.  of  Foots  Cray,  Sheriff  of  Kent  in  1777,  and  his 
crest,  still  playing  upon  the  name,  a  heron,  holding  in  the  bill 
a  herring. 


Argent,  on  a  chevron  engrailed  between  three  wolves'  heads 
erased  sable,  a  lozenge  or,  between  two  herrings  of  the  first, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Harries,  of  Loughton  in  Essex, 
and'of  Prickwell  in  Sussex.  Azure,  a  cross  flory  between  six 
herrings  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Heigliam. 


•  The  arms  and   many  seals  of  the  tunily  of  Kytson  arc  engraved  in  the  History  of 
Hengrave,  1822. 


156  THE    HERALDllY   OF    FISH. 

Cob  is  li  v/ord  of  Piany  meaning-s ;  f>mong  others,  that  of  her- 
ring. A  young  fish  is  called  a  herring  cob  :  that  this  was  the 
case  appears  ti-oni  a  passage  in  Jonson's  comedy  of  "  Every  Man 
in  his  Humour,"  in  which  Cob,  the  water-bearer,  punning  on 
his  own  name,  calls  himself  "  the  descendant  of  a  king,"  the 
herring  being  known  as  the  king  of  fish.  His  ancestor,  he  says, 
was  "  the  first  red-herring  broiled  in  Adam  and  Eve's  kitchen, 
and  his  Cob  (that  is,  iiis  son)  was  my  great,  great,  mighty  great, 
grandfather." 

The  arms  of  the  family  of  Cobb  of  Sandringhara,  on  the  coast 
of  Norfolk,  near  Lynn,  are  sable,  a  chevron  argent  between 
three  cob-fish  naiaut  or,  a  chief  of  tlie  last.  A  branch  of  this 
family  was  seated  at  Adderbury,  in  Oxfordshire,  in  the  reign  of 
Elizabeth,  and  in  the  chancel  of  that  church  is  a  monument  to 
the  memory  of  some  of  its  members. 


Thomas  Cobb,  Esq.  of  Adderbury  was  created  Baronet  by 
King  Charles  II.  in  1662.  Sir  George  Cobb,  Bart.,  who  died  in 
1762,  was  the  last  of  the  fiimily  of  Adderbury.  Another  family 
of  Cobb,  of  Sharnbrook,  in  Bedfordshire,  bears  gules,  a  chevron 
wa\'y  between  three  cob-fish  naiant  argent,  on  a  chief  of  the  last 
two  sea-cobs,  or  gulls,  sable.  The  arms  of  the  family  of  Cobb 
of  Snettisham,  in  Norfolk,  are  party  per  chevron  sable  and  argent, 
in  chief  two  sea-cobs  respecting  each  other,  and  in  base  a  herring 
uaiant  or.* 

*  Mackcrell's  History  of  Lynn. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  157 


FISHING-NETS. 


The  nets  used  in  fishing  and  fowling  very  frequently  formed 
part  of  the  heraldic  devices  assumed  as  ensigns  by  the  lords  of 
manors  in  the  early  periods  of  history ;  instances  are  given  by 
Palliot  *  under  the  words  Roseau,  netting,  and  Rets,  a  net. 

Azure,  a  bend  argent  charged  with  a  net  gides,  were  the 
arms  of  Fouet,  Seigneur  of  Domes  and  Raiz,  the  first  President 
of  the  Chamber  of  Accounts  at  Dijon ;  and  azure,  a  net  or,  with 
a  chief  argent,  charged  with  three  escallops  gules,  were  the  an- 
cient arms  of  Vulcana  of  Naples. 

The  ornamental  reticulations  which  are  found  in  shields  of 
arms  are  heraldically  termed  fretty ;  but,  if  the  same  is  composed 
of  separate  pieces,  frets ;  and  strewed  over  the  shield,  mascles : 
these  are  referred  by  our  own  writers  on  heraldry,  Guillim  and 
Nisbet,  to  the  nets  used  by  the  fishermen,  which  probably  sug- 
gested the  Rete  of  the  gladiators;  It  is  well  known  to  the  classi- 
cal reader  that  in  the  contests  of  the  Retiarii  and  ^lirmillones, 
the  first,  with  nets  of  cord,  entangled  their  opponents,  whose 
name  of  ISIirmillones,  derived  from  the  Greek,  arose  from  the 
fish  crests  by  which  they  were  originally  distinguished. 

The  importance  of  the  various  nets  used  in  river  and  sea  fish- 
ing, by  which  the  diiferent  kinds  of  fish  are  procured  with 
facility,  was  not  overlooked ;  the  larger  draught-nets  were  kept  in 
the  manor-house :  a  gi-eat  sean  and  a  less  sean  were  deposited  in 
one  of  the  galleries  at  Skipton  Castle.-f-  The  serfs  employed  as 
fishermen,  were,  in  early  times,  conveyed  to  a  purchaser  along 
with  the  fishery  when  it  was  sold  ;  the  most  expert  fishermen 
on  our  coasts  were  then  unable  to  avail  themselves  of  the  riches 
by  which  they  were  surrounded. 

Le  Fleming,  an  ancient  Cumberland  family,  bears  gules,  a  fret 
argent ;  Vernon  of  Shipbrooke,  in  Cheshire,  argent,  a  fret  sable  ; 
and  gules,  a  fret  or,  is  the  armorial  ensign  of  the  Lords  Audley, 
who  use  the  motto  "  Je  le  tiens.'"' 

Azure,  fretty  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  ancient  family  of 
Cave  of  Stanford,  in  Leicestershire,  with  the  punning  motto 
"  Cave,"  beware  the  net.  These  are  now  borne  by  the  Baroness 
Braye,  daughter  of  the  late  Sir  Thomas  Cave,  Baronet,  and 
lineal  heiress  of  Lord  Braye  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIIL 

*  "  Science  des  Arnioirits."  +  Whitaker's  Histon-  of  Craven. 


158 


THE    HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 


Or,  frettv  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  Lords  Willoughby ;  and 
argent,  frecty  sable,  on  a  cj.nion  gidcs  a  chaplet  or,  those  of 
the  Lords  of  Irby,  in  Lincolnshire,  now  borne  by  the  Lord  Bus- 
ton.  Or,  frettv  gnles,  a  canton  ermine,  are  the  arras  of  the 
family  of  Noel,  of  which  the  Earl  of  Gainsborough  and  the  Earl 
of  Lovelace  are  representatives. 

The  masfles  of  heraldry  are  formed  precisely  like  the  meshes 
of  the  nets  of  the  fish'^rman,  and  were  borne  in  the  arms  of  the 
most  ancient  and  noblest  families.  Argent,  seven  mascles  con- 
joined azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  Lords  of  Braybrook,  in  North- 
amptonshire, from  whom,  through  the  family  of  Latimer,  the 
Lords  Braybrooke  are  descended. 

Gules,  seven  mascles  conjoined  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  families 
of  Quincy  and  Ferrers :  fishing  with  a  golden  net  was  one  of  the 
luxuries  practised  by  the  Emperor  Nero.* 

Sable,  a  fret  argent,  is  the  armorial  distinction  of  the  ancient 
Lords  of  Harrington,  a  manor  and  sea-port  on  the  coast  of  Cum- 
berland, where  herrings  are  plentiful :  the  literal  meaning  of  the 
name  is  herring  enclosure. 


In  the  reign  of  Edward  IL  Sir  John  de  Harrington  was  sum- 
moned to  Parliament  as  a  peer.  The  baronies  of  Harrington 
and  Bon  vile  bycamo  united  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VL  and  subse- 
quentlv  passed  to  the  family  of  the  Lords  Grey  of  Groby,  whose 
representative,  the  Earl  of  Stamford,  bears  the  arms  of  Harring- 
ton as  one  of  his  quarteiings  to  show  his  lordship's  title  to  the 
barony  by  descent. 

Sable,  a  fret  or,  the  arms  of  the  Lords  Maltravcrs  of  Lytchet, 
in  Dorsetshire,  seem  to  have  been  assumed  in  direct  allusion  to 

•  Suetoniup. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  159 

I  III-  name,  the  net  bein^  hard  to  penetrate.  These  arms  are 
.jii:»rtered  with  those  of  Howard  by  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  K.G., 
I^tnl  Maltravers  by  descent. 

The  noble  family  of  Netterville  of  Douth  Castle,  county  of 
Moath  in  Ireland,  bear,  argent,  a  cross  gnles,  fretty  or,  in  allu- 
-ion  to  the  name.  Nicholas  Netterville  was  created  Viscoimt 
Netterville  of  Douth  by  King  James  in  1622. 

Azure,  fretty  or,  a  canton  of  the  last,  are  the  arms,  and  a 
salmon  naiant  the  crest,  of  the  family  of  Willeigh,  or  Willeley. 

The  sizes  of  fishing-nets  are  little  known,  those  used  in  the 
river  Severn  are  limited  in  length  to  seventy-five  yards :  *  the 
large  and  strong  nets  used  in  the  herring  fishery  form  a  kind  of 
hedge  in  the  sea  a  mile  in  length,  and  those  used  for  mackerel 
extend  two  miles.^f* 

THE  PILCHARD. 

The  Pilchard  is  a  fish  resembling  the  herring,  but  is  smaller 
and  thicker  ;  its  name  is  derived  from  Peltze)\  a  term  by  which 
it  was  known  to  the  early  naturalists. 

Mount's  Bay,  on  the  Cornish  coast,  is  one  of  the  chief  stations 
of  the  pilchard  fishery ;  this  beautiful  bay  receives  its  name  from 
Saint  Michael's  Mount,  a  singular  rock  connected  with  the  touii 
of  Marazion  by  a  narrow  causeway  of  pebbles.^  Job  Militon, 
Esq.  Governor  of  Saint  Michael's  Mount  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
Vni,  built  Pengersick  Castle,  on  the  banks  of  Mount's  Bay. 


His  arms  were  gides,  a  chevron  or,  between   three  pilchards 

•  Nash's  History  of  Worce-^torshire. 

t  Notes  on  Nets,  or  the  Quincunx,  by  the  Hon.  and  Her.  C.  Ratlnirst,  LL.D. 
X  Saint  Michael  is  represented  on  the  old   seal  of  HeUton  holding  a  shield  charged 
with  the  arms  of  England. 


160 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


naiant  arijent.  William  Mlliton,  Esq.  of  Pengersick,  his  son, 
and  Sheriff  of  Cornwall,  died  in  1.565,  when  the  estate  passed  to 
his  six  sisters,  his  coheiresses.  The  same  arms,  a  che\Ton  be- 
tween three  pilchards,  are  borne  by  the  family  of  Millington  of 
Devonshire. 

Argent,  a  chevron  gules  between  two  roses  in  chief,  and  a  pil- 
chard naiant,  are  the  arms  of  the  ancient  family  of  Eoscarrock  of 
Endellion,  a  port  on  the  British  Channel  famed  for  Its  pilchard 
fishery.  The  annual  fishery  on  the  coast  of  Cornwall  is  of  great 
importance,  and  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  whole  county.  The 
shoals  of  pilchards  in  the  autumn  are  discerned  many  miles  off 
by  the  singular  appearance  of  a  red  line  on  the  sea  a  mile  long, 
and  their  progress  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  finny 
tribe.  They  are  first  seen  among  the  Scilly  Islands,  thirty  miles 
from  the  Land's  End ;  and  the  shoals,  dividing  there,  pass  up  the 
northern  and  southern  channels  into  the  creeks  and  harbours ; 
and  swimming  near  the  surface  on  the  coast,  till  they  arrive  at 
Bude  Haven  on  the  north,  and  off  Pl}nnoutli  on  the  south,  they, 
without  apparent  cause,  plunge  into  deep  water,  and  are  not 
discovered  afterwards. 

The  borough  of  Truro,  incorporated  by  Queen  Elizabeth  in 
1589,    had   formerly  jurisdiction    over  Falmouth,   a   celebrated 


fishing  station.  The  seal  of  the  corporation,  rudely  designed, 
bears  a  fishing  vessel,  and  in  the  waves  beneath  two  pilchards, 
in  allusion  to  the  peculiar  produce  of  Cornwall. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


161 


Port  Looe,  cat  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  same  name,  is  one 
of  the  fishing  stations  whence  both  pilchards  and  oil  are  exported 
to  various  ports  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  seal  of  the  town 
r^'presents  a  fishing  vessel  with  three  shields  on  its  side,  each 
charged  with  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Bodrugan,  the  ancient 
lords  of  the  manor.  A  Looe  token,  struck  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II,  during  a  scarcity  of  copper  money,  bears  the  type 


of  its  chief  produce,  a  pilchard,  here  familiarly  termed  a  Looe 
trout.  The  seal  of  the  town  of  Fowey,  dated  1702,  bears  a 
shield  charged  with  a  fishing  vessel,  the  pilchard  fishery  being 
of  considerable  importance  at  this  port. 


THE   SPRAT. 
The  Sprat  seems  only  to  have  been  a.ssumed  in   heraldry  in 
reference  to  a  name.     Argent,  a  chevron  sable,  between  three 
sprats  naiant  azure,  are  the  arras  of  the  family  of  Sprat  of  Dor- 
setshire. 


The  Rev.  Thomas  Sprat,  author  of  the  History  of  the  Roval 
Society,  was,  in  the  year  1G84.  made  TJishop  of  Rochester. 

M 


162 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


His  arms  are  sculptured  on  the  monument,  in  Westminster 
Abbey  church,  erected  to  his  memory  and  that  of  his  son,  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Sprat,  Archdeacon  of  Rochester.  Sable,  a  fcr?> 
between  six  sprats  hauriant  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Sprotton. 

Sprats,  small  sea  fish,  are  found  in  abundance  on  the  coast  of 
Suffolk,  where  they  ai-e  cured  at  Aldborough,  in  almost  the  same 
manner  as  the  herrings  at  Yarmouth. 

In  Scotland  these  fish  are  termed  garvies,  and  are  taken  in 
the  Forth  throughout  the  whole  of  the  year.  Inch  Garvie,  or 
Sprat  Island,  is  in  the  middle  of  the  Frith,  near  Queen's  Ferry. 
A  garvie-fish  naiant  is  the  crest  of  a  family  of  Fisher  of  Scot- 
land :  and  azure,  three  tjarvie-fish  naiant  in  pale  argent,  within  a 
border  or ;  crest,  a  hand  holding  a  garvie-fish,  are  the  armorial 
ensigns  of  the  family  of  Garvine  of  Scotland. 

Or,  on  a  bend  azure,  three  sardines  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Sartinc  of  France ;  a  name  derived  from  the  sardine, 
or  sprat,  of  the  ^lediterranean. 


Azure,  a  bend  or,  charged  with  three  sardines  sable,  are  the 
arms  of  the  Neapolitan  family  of  Quarracino.*  The  sardine  is 
the  same  as  the  anchovy,  a  common  fish  on  the  coasts  of  Spain 
and  France. 

•  Palliot. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  163 

VII. 

The  Mackerel,  above  all  fish,  exhibits  the  highest  degree  of 
elegance  in  form,  and  is  well  known  by  the  brilliancy  of  its 
colours:  the  name  is  derived  from  its  spotted  body,  macularlus, 
and  in  most  of  the  countries  of  Europe  it  is  called  by  a  term 
referring  to  its  variegated  appearance. 

These  fish  are  only  borne  in  heraldry  in  allusion  to  the  name. 
Charlton  Mackerel,  in  Somersetshire,  obtained  its  designation 
at  a  very  early  period.  Gules,  three  mackerel  hauriant  argent, 
are  the  arms  of  Mackerell  of  Norwich,  of  which  family  there 
are  monuments  in  the  church  of  Saint  Stephen  in  that  city. 


Benjamin  Mackerell,  an  industrious  antlipiary  of  Norwich, 
printed  a  "  History  of  King's  Lynn,  in  Norfolk,"  in  1738,  and 
was  the  author  of  several  heraldic  collections,  amongst  which  was 
"  Insignia  Armoi-um,"  a  manuscript,  with  <lra wings  of  the  arms 
of  all  the  nobility  of  England,  &:c.  in  17iiS.*  Per  fess  azure  and 
vert,  three  mackerel  naiant  in  pale,  arc  the  arms  of  the  family  of 
Mackrill. 

Argent,  on  a  chevron  between  three  mackerel  gules,  a  rose, 
with  a  chief  chequy  of  the  first  and  second,  are  the  arms  of  Doc- 
tor Macbride,  the  learned  Principal  of  Magdalen  Hall.  Oxford. 

The  three  mackerel,  often  used  as  a  sign  in  fishing  towns, 
probably  indicate  a  house  of  entertainment  kept  by  a  fisherman. 

•  H.  Bohn'3  Catiiloguc,  1S41. 

M  2 


164  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

The  saimoi!  r.t  FlyLrldgo  on  tlie  Tweed,  and  the  trout  at 
Yewsley  on  the  Colne,  are  signs  which  in  like  manner  originated 
with  brothers  of  the  angle.  These  symbols  are  not  entirely 
without  interest  to  the  poetical  niiud  ;  Swift  acknowledges  that, 
when  travelling  with  the  Lord  Treasurer  Ilarley,  they 

Would  gravely  iry  to  read  the  lines 
^Yrit  underueath  tlie  country  signs. 

An  intelligent  author,  noticing  the  variety  of  signs  in  Germany, 
says  that  "  nature,  history,  and  imagination*  have  alike  been 
taxed  to  supply  this"  gallery  of  emblems;  they  are  adapted  t<> 
every  fancy  and  to  every  age :  besides  lions  and  eagles,  lambs 
and  doves,  the  naturalist  will  find  birds  and  beasts  of  every  un- 
natural colour  and  form/'*  Many  old  signs  of  inns  are  heraldic, 
and,  in  the  association  with  local  and  historical  circumstances, 
these  manorial  cognizances  attain  a  degree  of  interest.  It  re- 
quires but  little  knowledge  of  history  to  descry  the  white  swan, 
this  ancient  badge  of  the  Clares,  at  the  inn  of  Clare,  and  the  half- 
moon  of  the  Percys  at  that  of  Petworth  :  the  peacock  of  the 
Lords  de  Eos  is  a  sign  at  Northampton,  as  well  as  the  goat  of 
the  Eussells  at  Woburn.  A  very  common  sign  is  made  still 
more  familiar  by  Shakspeare,  as 

old  Nevile's  crest. 


The  rampant  bear  chain 'd  to  the  ragged  staff. 

Mackerel  are  dispersed  over  the  immense  surface  of  the  deep, 
and  approach  the  shores  in  all  directions,  roving  along  the  coast. 
At  the  various  fishing  towns  of  the  kingdom  immense  shoals  are 
collected  and  caught,  and  the  mackerel  season  is  one  of  great 
bustle  and  activity.  As  an  article  of  food  this  fish  must  be  eaten 
very  fresh,  and  on  that  account  is  cried  by  the  venders  even  in 
the  public  streets  of  the  metropolis;  the  only  remaining  instance, 
it  is  believed,  of  the  London  Cries,  which  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Anne  issued  from 


a  hundred  moutlis,  a  hundred  toii;jucs. 


'  And  throats  of  brass  inspired  with  iron  lungs  ; 

cries  which  the  gallant  Will  Honeyconibf  preferred  to  the  sounds 
of  larks  and  nightingales,  with  all  the  nnisie  of  the  fields  and 
woods. 

•  Tunibuli's  Au-,tria.  t  The  Spectator. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  165 


VIII. 


antr  33ut!3on 

This  division  of  the  heraklrv  appertaining  to  fish  includes  the 
most  vahiahle  sort  as  an  article  of  commerce,  and  those  which 
are  universally  known.  Haddocks  are  found  in  shoals  on  the 
coasts  of  Great  Britain,  from  the  Land's  End  to  the  extreme 
North.  Findhorn,  on  the  Moray  Frith,  is  particularly  famed  for 
its  haddocks,  which  are  landed  at  Leith,  and  brought  to  the 
Edinburgh  market  by  the  women  of  Fisher-row.  A  punning 
allusion  to  the  name  is  found  in  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Had- 
dock of  Lancashire,  a  dexter  liand  holding  a  haddock. 


^S^fi^ 


Captain  William  Haddock,  who  was  honoured  by  a  gold  me- 
dal presented  by  the  Parliament  for  his  gallantry  in  the  memo- 
rable action  with  the  Dutch  fleet  in  1653,  was  the  grandfather  of 
Admiral  Nicholas  Haddock. 

A  popular  idea  assigns  the  dark  marks  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
haddock  to  the  impression  left  by  Saint  Peter  with  his  finger  aiid 
thumb  when  he  took  the  tribute  money  out  of  the  fish's  m(»uth 
at  Capernaum  ;  *  but  the  haddock  certainly  does  not  now  exist  in 
the  seas  of  the  country  Avhere  the  miracle  was  performed,  althou'di 
it  ranges  over  a  considerable  space  both  north  and  south. 

The  Dory,  called  Saint  Peter's  fish  in  several  countries  of 
Europe,  contends  with  the  haddock  the  honour  of  bearinnf  the 
mark^'of  the  Apostle's  fingers,  an  impression  transmitted  to  pos- 
terity as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  the  miracle  ;  the  name  of  Dory 
is  hence  asserted  to  be  derived  from  the  French  word  ddut'e^ 
worshipped.     The  fi-hermen  of  the  iVdriatic  call   it  il  Jaiutore^ 

*  The  Goajjcl  uf  S;iiiit  Matthew,  chap.  xvLi. 


166 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


the  gatekeeper,  Saixxt  P^ter  being  well  known  as  the  bearer  ot' 
the  keys  of  Paradise. 

Saint  Peter  wos  the  first  of  the  followers  of  Christ  to  declari: 
the  glories  of  salvation,  and  his  axilcss  simplicity  and  humble 
character  ga\'e  eiiect  to  his  preaching  on  the  minds  of  the  earliest 
converts.  As  this  saint  is  the  especial  patron  of  fishermen,  ami 
of  fishmongers,  the-  boat  used  for  fishing  in  the  Thames  is  called 
a  Peter-boat ;  and  the  keys,  the  emblem  of  Saint  Peter,  form 
part  of  the  armorial  ensigns  of  the  Fishmongers'  Company. 

Party  per  bend,  azure  and  argent,  a  key  and  a  fish  comiter- 
changed,  are  the  arms  of  the  mitred  abbey  of  Petershausen  on 
the  banks  of  Lake  Constance.   ' 


T\ 


The  Pope  is  commonly  represented  in  the  character  of  Saint 
Peter,  in  th6  early  periods  of  art,  bearing  in  his  hand  the  keys  of 
heaven.*  The  power  of  the  keys  assumed  by  the  Pope,  and 
understood  as  the  privilege  of  passing  judgment  on  departed 
souls,  is  derived  from  the  metaphorical  expression  of  Christ  re- 
corded in  the  Go?pel.-f- 

The  committal  of  the  keys  to  Saint  Peter  forms  the  subject  of 
one  of  the  Cartoons  by  Katfaelle  at  Hampton  Court  palace,  and 
is  worked  in  tapestry  on  the  walls  of  the  Vatican,  founded  by 
Pope  Nicholas  V,  who  bore  for  his  personal  arms,  gules,  two 
crossed  keys  or.  The  keys  of  Saint  Peter  are  also  borne  in  the 
arms  of  the  Archbishopric  of  York,  in  those  of  the  Bishopric 
of  Peterborough,  by  several  of  the  English  and  Irish  bishoprics, 
and  by  Saint  Peter's  College,  Cambridge. 

•  Sometimes  the  ApostU-  is  represontcd  with  two  keys  in  his  hand,  aud  at  others  with 
a  double  key,  sunuouiitcd  b\'  a  cross. 
+  Sviint  iIattho\s',  tliap.  xvi. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


167 


A  haddock  embowed,  over  an  episcopal  hat,  is  the  crest  of  the 
(feniian  Barou  yon  Evt?iii<?.* 


The  type  of  the  connexion  between  the  dignity  of  the  Church 
and  the  humble  employment  of  Saint  Peter  is  not  entirely  dis- 
regarded by  the  sovereign  pontiff:  his  signet,  the  fisherman's  ring, 
I'anello  del  phcatore,  represents  Saint  Peter  drawing  his  nets ; 
and  tlie  celebrated  Kaviculo  di  Giotto,  in  mosaic,  over  the  portal 
of  Saint  Peter's  church  at  Rome,  is  designed  from  the  same 
subject. 

The  story  of  Tobias  and  the  fish,  from  the  Apocrypha,  forms 
part  of  the  heraldry  of  the  Armenian  fomily  of  Raphael.  The 
arms  borne  by  Alexander  Raphael,  Esq.  Sheriff  of  London  in  1834, 
are  quarterly  azure  and  argent,  a  cross  moline  or:-f-  in  the  first 
quarter  a  sun  in  splendour ;  in  the  second  the  Ark  on  Mount 
Ararat ;  a  city  at  its  base,  inscribed  Naksivan  \X  '^"^  ^^^^  third, 
the  angel  Raphael §"  and  Tobias  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris, 
thereon  a  fish;  and  in  the  fourth  quarter  an  anchor  in  bend, 
with  the  cable  entwined  or.  These  arms  afford  a  striking  ex- 
ample of  the  false  taste  often  sho%\'n  in  modem  heraldic  com- 
position :  here  the  very  rudiments  of  the  art,  the  principles 
which  guided  the  older  iieralds,  and  the  simi)licity  of  existing 
models  of  early  date,  are  all  abandoned  for  the  sake  of  extrava- 
gant novelty,  showing  more  forcibly  than  any  written  satire  the 
decline  and  corruption,  of  heraldry.  The  departure  from  the  true 
and  authentic    style    of  arms    painting,  equally  conspicuous,   is 

•  Sihm.ichiT.  t  The  cross,  a  brilliant  addition  ti>  the  sploiidnur  of  the  sliiold, 

was  made  subject  to  an  almost  iiidi-;cribable  nunibor  of  fonns,   as  the   chief  onitilum  of 
Ch^i^tiallitv.  +  "  The  word  Nuksivan  is  Amienian.     Noah  settled  there  wlien 

he  left  the  Ark  after  the  Deh^e,  and   named  it  fn.m  nak,  ship,  and   sivan,  rest  ;  it  is 
conseciucutly  the  oldest  city  in  the  world."— Calmet.  §  "  The  name  of  Raphael, 

the  angel  who  restored  Tobit's  sight  by  means  of  the  fi^h,  implies  Divine  remedy." — 
Calmkt. 


168 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


justly  censored  hj  an  emineut  critic  in  heraldry.*  The  charac- 
teristics of  a  rude  but  cou temporary  era  are  vnolently  destroyed, 
the  vestiges  of  early  art  are  coufased  and  annihilated ;  and  who. 
the  same  author  imiuires,  tv  ould  wish  to  exchange  for  the  more 
polished  inventions  of  later  times,  devices  which  have  been  so 
long  regarded  with  a  kind  of  religious  veneration  ? 

Some  herald  painters  were  undoubtedly  men  of  talent ;  Smirke, 
Baker,  and  Catton  became  members  of  the  Royal  Academy. 
Baker,  celebrated  for  painting  flowers,  erveloped  the  arms  of  the 
nobility  in  gorgeous  wreaths ;  Catton,  who  excelled  in  animals, 
painted  the  arms  on  the  royal  carriages  in  the  early  part  of  the 
reign  of  George  the  Third ;  and  Smirke,  distinguished  as  an 
historical  painter,  enriched  the  panels  of  the  Lord  Mayor's  state 
carriage.  As  an  independent  profession,  herald  painting  hardly 
existed  after  the  year  1 790,  when  Strickland  was  employed  by 
Hatchet,  the  principal  coachmaker  in  Long-acre. 

COD. 

The  Codfish  generally  live  in  the  seas  of  cold  climates,  and  by 
their  abundance  are  important  as  objects  of  commerce ;  they  are 
taken  all  round  the  coast  of  Great  Britain,  and  on  the  north  and 
west  of  Scotland  extensive  fisheries  are  carried  on,  but  the 
Dogger  Bank  cod  are  the  most  esteemed. 

Sable,  a  chevron  between  three  codfish  naiant  argent,  are 
borne  as  arms  by  the  family  of  Codd ;  and  azure,  three  codfish 
naiant  in  pale  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Beck. 


This  fish  has  a  lance-shapod  body,  covered  with  small  scak's ; 

'   Hi-nildic  IiKiuirios,  by  the  Rev.  Jiuucs  Dallnw.iy,  1793. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  169 

ai  it  inhabits  deep  water,  its  capture  is  only  attempted  with 
th«'  line  and  hook.  Each  fisher  only  takes  one  cod  at  a  time, 
and  will  take  from  three  hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred  in 
a  <lay ;  vessels  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  tons'  burthen  trading  to 
Newfoundland  bring  home  upwards  of  thirty  thousand  fish,  but, 
as  Lent  approaches,  the  ship  will  sometimes  return  with  only 
half  her  cargo. 

Dried  cod,  the  stockfish  of  the  early  ages,  formed  a  very  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  food  of  the  nation,  both  during  Lent  and 
on  the  frequent  fast-days  enjoined  by  religion.  Besides  the  pure 
fipi ritual  end,  a  second  object,  in  civil  respects,  was  probably  in- 
ttMided,  as  by  the  institution  of  Lent  the  prosperity  of  fishermen 
was  successfully  advanced. 

The  trade  of  preser\'ing  fish  appears  to  have  been,  from  the 
very  earliest  period,  more  dignified  than  that  of  catching  them ; 
the  curers  and  salters  of  fish  are  represented  on  the  monuments 
of  Egypt  as  superior  in  appearance  to  the  fishermen  of  that 
country.  The  fish  of  Egypt,  as  shown  in  the  paintings  ou  the 
walls  of  the  Tlieban  palaces,*  were  divided  lengthwise  by 
a  knife  not  unlike  that  now  used  for  splitting  the  codfish  at 
Newfoundland ;  but  their  fish  were  cured  with  fossil  salt,  pro- 
cured from  the  African  desert,  sea-salt  being  deemed  by  the 
priests  impure. 

Home  salted  and  cured  fish  were  in  England  considered  as 
superior  to  foreig-n,  and  the  latter  were  forbidden  to  be  imported 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  The  fairs  of  Sturbridge,  Ely,  and 
St.  Ives,  noted  for  the  provision  offish,  were  then  much  used  by 
the  inhabitants  of  London.  Dried  fish  has  long  been  an  article 
t)f  British  commerce,  and  is  chiefly  exported  to  Italy  and  Spain. 

One  of  the  most  curious  productions  of  the  early  poetical  lite- 
rature of  Spain,  collected  by  the  industry  of  Sanchez,f  is  "  The 
Battle  of  Mr.  Carnal  with  Mrs.  Lent,"  written  by  Juan  Ruiz,  who 
flourished  about  the  mitldle  of  the  fourteenth  century.  In  this 
poem,  which  is  not  without  humour  and  sprightliness,  the  beasts 
and  fish  are  arrayed  in  mortal  combat,  ending  in  the  total  dis- 
comfiture of  the  former :  the  fish  and  the  holy  cause  obtain  the 
victory,  and  Mr.  Carnal  is  condemned  to  fast,  unless  in  case  of 
illness,  upon  one  spare  meal  offish  a  day.:|: 

Previously,  the  remembrance  of  the  duty  of  fasting  was  en- 
forced by  the  means  of  rude  sculptures  and  pictures,  and   these 

*  CiiilLuid's  Egypt.  t  Cokcciou  do  PoL>i;i»  C;i.->ttll;iiiiis,  \c.     Madrid,  17K0. 

♦  .\rtitlc  oil  Cobtiliaii  PneHy  in  the  Ketrospcctivc  Ue%icxv,  voL  vi. 


170 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


necessary  helps  to  popular  devotion  are  also  to  be  found  in 
the  enrichments  of  architecture.  A  grotesque  figure  with  out- 
stretched arms,  holding  up  the  fish  and  the  wassail  bowl,  may 
be  considered  as  an  appropriate  type  of  the  fasts  and  festivals  of 
the  Church  in  the  eleventh  century. 


This  is  shown  on  one  of  the  capitals  in  the  undercroft,  or 
crypt,  by  no  means  the  least  interesting  part  of  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  the  erection  of  which  is  attributed  to  Archbishop 
Lanfi-anc.  It  was  from  these  rude  attempts  of  art  that  the 
clergy  derived  the  method  of  instruction  in  the  due  observance 
of  church  solemnities  long  before  the  invention  of  printing,  and 
when  manuscript  books  were  not  to  be  obtained  but  with  diffi- 
culty and  at  groat  cost. 

It  was  the  general  demand  for  fish  at  stated  seasons,  when  it 
formed  the  sole  article  of  food,  which  contributed  to  the  wealth 
and  importance  of  the  fish-merchants,  who,  as  a  guild,  acquired 
consequence  at  a  very  early  period  in  London.  In  the  year 
1298,  in  honour  of  the  return  of  King  Edward  I.  from  his  vic- 
tory over  the  Scots,  the  citizens,  every  one  according  to  their 
craft,  proceeded  through  the  city :  the  mystery  of  fishmongers 
on  this  occasion  assumed  the  badges  of  their  trade,  and  had  four 
sturgeons,  gilt,  carried  on  horses;  then  four  salmon  of  silver  on 
horses;  then  forty-six  armed  knights,  riding  on  horses  like  luces 
of  the  sea,  followed  by  one  in  the  character  of  Saint  Magnus, 
with  a  thousand  horsemen.  To  this  saint  the  church  in  New 
Fish  Street,  or  Fi^^h-street  Hill,  was  dedicated,  and  now  bears 
on  its  front  his  statue :  he  was  con-idcred,  probably,  as  the  pa- 
tron of  the  fishmarket.  Billings-gate,  a  port  for  shipping,  was 
not  distinguished  as  a  fishmarket  until  Parliament,  in  lGy9,  made 
it  a  free  port  for  fish. 

The  earliest  charters  extant  in  ])ossession  of  the  Fishmongers*' 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


171 


(\iinpanv,  by  King  Edward  III,  confirm  the  grants  imme- 
tnorially  made  to  them  hy  his  predecessors.  In  1381,  Sir  Wil- 
liam >V''alworth,  a  renoAMied  fishmonger,  then  JMayor  of  London, 
hk'W  the  insurgent  "Wat  Tyler  in  Smithfield,  in  the  presence  of 
King  Richard  II.  His  dagger  is  carefully  preserved  among  the 
archives  of  the  company,  and  the  event  was  formerly  commemo- 
nited  in  the  city  pageants  during  the  mayoralty  of  a  fishmonger. 
In  "The  Triumphs  of  London,"*  performed  at  the  cost  of  the 
Fishmongers,  upon  the  inauguration  of  Sir  Thomas  Ahney,  Lord 
Mayor  in  1700,  a  horseman  in  armour,  with  a  dagger  in  his 
hand,  represented  Sir  William  Walworth ;  the  head  of  the  rebel 
Wat  Tyler  being  borne  aloft  on  a  pike  before  him.  This  was 
again  displayed  in  1740,  when  another  of  the  Fishmongers' 
Company  happened  to  be  Lord  Mayor, 

King  Henry  VI,  united  the  Stockfishmongers  and  other 
branches  of  the  trade,  and  incorporated  the  whole  under  the 
general  name  of  the  Fishmongers  of  London,-f-  but  they  were 
again  separated  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII. :J:  The  arms  of  the 
Saltfishmongers  were  gules,  three  crossed  keys  saltierwise  or,  on 
.1  chief  azure  three  dolphins  embowed  argent. 


Their  arms  appear  in  stained  glass  in  the  western  side  of  the 
splendid  windows  of  the  north  transept  of  Canterbury  Cathedral, 
together  with,  the  arms  uf  the  City  of  Loudon  and  those  of  Thomas 
Bt-rnwell,  citizen  and  fishmonger,  who  was  Sheriff  in  14oa.§ 

The  Stockfis-hmonyers  bore  for  arms,  azuir,  two  sea  luces  in 


•  Printed  for  R.  lUniliaui,  iii  Little  Britain,  1700. 

t  Chartor  11  H..niy  VI.  t  21  Ileniy  VIL 

§  Willomcnt's  lIcniKlic  Notices. 


17: 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


saltier,  proper,  with  coronets  over  their  mouths  or:  the  fish  hor.> 
intended  is  the  hake,  the  merlucius  of  the  naturalist,  common  on 
the  southern  coast  of  England,  large  quantities  of  which  are  pre- 
served, both  by  salting  and  drying,  for  exportation,  chiefly  to 
Spain.  The  hake  is  described  and  figured  by  Rondelet  of  Mout- 
pelier,  and  was  known  to  the  older  naturalists  before  him. 


These  companies  of  merchants,  amongst  the  most  important 
of  the  city  guilds,  had  no  less  than  six  Halls  for  the  transaction 
of  business,  in  regulating  the  fi.-hery,  and  registering  the  men  and 
crafts  employed  in  it.  Two  Halls  were  situated  in  Old  Fish 
Street,  two  in  New  Fish  Street,  near  London  Bridge,  and  two 
in  Thames  Street.  The  two  companies  of  Salt  and  Stockfish- 
mongers,  both  under  the  patronage  of  Saint  Peter,  were  united 
in  1536,  when  they  obtained  a  charter  from  King  Henry  VI U  ; 
but  the  company  acts  at  present  under  the  authority  of  a  char- 
ter of  incorporation,  dated  2nd  of  King  James  I,  to  which  the 
great  seal  of  England  is  attached. 

This  company  formerly  maintained  three  chaplains,  and,  be- 
sides being  benefactors  to  the  churches  of  Saint  Peter,  in  West 
Cheap,  and  Saint  Peter,  in  Cornhill,  the  southern  aisle  of  Saint 
MichaeFs,  Crooked  Lane,  was  particularly  distinguished  as  the 
Fishmongers"'  Chapel,  or  the  Chapel  of  Saint  Peter.  The  chap- 
lains assisted  at  all  their  funerals,  and  the  superb  ornamental 
pall  used  on  these  occasions  is  yet  preserved.*  It  is  made 
of  a  rich  velvet  with  a  broad  fringe,  and  bears  on  its  sides  in 
embroidery  the  figure  of  -lesus  Christ  delivering  the  keys  to  Saint 
Peter,  between  the  arms  of  the  Fishmongers'  Company  as  now 

•  It  resembles  tluit  iKlonpiiiig  to  the  Sadlors'  Couipariy,  which  is  engraved  in  Mr. 
Shaw's  -  Iktiinitiniis  of  llie  Middle  .-Vires,"  UUl. 


THE  HERALDRY  OF    FISH. 


173 


us«m1;  at  the  ends  is  representoil  the  Apostle  Saint  Peter  in  pon- 
tlticalilms:  this  is  called  "  \\^alwortlfs  Pall,"  but  is  evidently  of 
the  time  of  Henry  VIII,  when  the  arms  were  granted. 

The  insignia  now  borne,  an  amalgamation  of  the  two  arms 
formerly  used,  were  confirmed  to  the  company  by  Robert  Cooke, 
Clarenceux  King  of  Arms  in  1575;*  the  grant  of  arms  was 
again  confirmed  in  the  year  1634. 


The  present  Hall  of  the  Fishmongers'  Company  was  rebuilt  in 
1834;  on  the  staircase  is  the  statue  of  Walworth,  by  Peirce, 
and  in  one  of  the  rooms  are  eight  very  curious  and  ancient  pic- 
tures of  fish,  in  all  seasons,  containing  a  hundred  ditferent  sorts, 
but  it  is  not  known  by  whom  painte<l.  In  the  old  Hall,  de- 
stroyed bv  the  fire  of  London,  were  arms  in  the  windows  of 
twenty-two  Lord  Mayors,  of  the  FishuKjngers'  Company,  from 


•  Aziiro,  three  dolpliins  oiuhowcj  in  pale  lH.'t\voi'ii  two  pair  of  sea  luces  s.ikierwise 
propi  r,  tT.iWTicd  or  ;  on  a  chief  gules,  six  keys,  in  tliree  sjiltiers,  ward  ends  upwards,  of  the 
second.  Crest,  two  arms  supportinj»  an  imperial  crown.  Supporters,  a  niennnn  and  mer- 
maid, the  first  armed,  and  the  latter  with  a  mirror  in  her  left  hand.  Motto,  **  All  wor- 
ship be  to  God  only." 


174  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

John  Lovekin  to  Sir  John  Leman ;  and  twentj-eiorht  Lord 
Mayors,  fishmongers  and  stockfishmongers,  are  enumerated  bv 
Strjpe,  from  the  year  1349  to  1716.*  Part  of  the  wealth  ot" 
the  company  is  devoted  to  charitable  purposes,  and,  amonir 
others,  to  the  support  of  Saint  Peter's  Hospital  at  Newiugton,  in 
Surrey,  founded  in  1618. 

The  fishermen  were  incorporated  by  King  James  11.  in  1687, 
but  they  never  arrived  at  the  opulence  and  distinction  of  the 
fish-merchants.  Fish  aiford  an  inexhaustible  harvest,  ripe  fur 
gathering  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  without  the  labour  of  tillage, 
without  expence  of  seed  or  manure,  and  without  the  payment  of 
rent  and  taxes  ;  yet 

Hard  is  the  life  the  weary  fisher' finds. 
Who  trusts  his  floating  mansion  to  the  winds. 
Whose  daily  food  the  fickle  sea  maintains. 
Unchanging  labour  and  uncertain  gains. 

Long  before  the  discovery  of  Newfoundland  a  very  consider- 
able fishery  for  cod  was  established  ofi*  the  Orkney  and  Shetlan*! 
Islands,  but  the  principal  supply  for  the  countries  of  Europe  was 
obtained  from  Iceland  and  the  coasts  of  Norway.  Gules,  a 
stockfish  argent,  crowned  or,  are  the  appropriate  arms  of  Iceland. 


These  arms  are  borne  by  the  kings  of  Denmark  in  the  royal 
achievement,  illustrating  in  the  simplest  manner  the  source  of  a 
chief  part  of  their  revenue.  All  the  sea^  of  Denmark,  of  which 
the  kings  assume  the  sole  dominion,  are  well  stored  with  fish, 
and  the  regality  is  farmed  :  the  predominance  of  dried  fish  in  this 
country  is  noticed  by  the  earliest  voyagers,  "  Of  Iseland  to  write 
is  little  nede,  save  of  stockfish." -f- 

Gules,  three  fish  without   heads    or,    arms   quartered   by  the 

•  History  of  London.  f  Hakluyt's  Principal  Na\-igations  &c.  lofi!). 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


176 


tainily  of  Bawde,*  are  presumed  t«.>  I'O  intondcd  for  stockfish,  an 
,nrticle  of  commeree  producthe  of  gr^at  wcrdth. 

Fishing-  vessel*  form  a  charge  in  the  heraldry  of  fainilies  de- 
rive<l  from  ancestors  who  were  hound  to  perform  service  to  the 
king  on  account  of  their  maritime  lord.ships,  or  iu  consequence 
of  the  insular  position  of  their  .fiefs.  Small  undecked  vessels, 
containing  not  more  than  t,u-o  or  three  fishermen,  "u-erc  originally 
u^od  on  the  north-western  coasts  of  Great  Britain  :  the  fishermen 
were,  however,  skilful  and  dexterous  in  catching  the  different 
species  of  the  finny  tribe  which  abound  m  the  lakes  and  rivulets 
(if  the  Orkneys  and  the  seas  around. 

Azure,  a  ship  at  anchor,  her  oars  in  saltier,  within  a  double 
trcssure  counterflory  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  Sinclairs,  ancient 
Earls  of  Orkney ;  now  borne  by  their  descendant  the  Earl  of 
Caithness,  Lord  Lieutenant  of  that  county.  The  first  Earl  of 
Caithness,  Lord  Chancellor  of  Scotland,  was  the  third  Earl  of 
Orkney,  but  Surrendered  that  title  to  the  crown  when  those 
islanfls  devolved  taKing  James  III.  on  his  marriage  with  Mar- 
garet of  Denmark. 

Argent,  a  lymphad,  or  fishing  galley,  sable,  with  pennant  gules, 
were  the  arms  of  the  Mac  Dougals,  ancient  Lords  of  Lorn,  in 
Argyleshire,  bounded  by  the  sea :  these  arms  are  now  quartered 
with  those  of  Campbell  by  the  Duke  of  Argyll,  Marquess  of 
Lorn,  Sec.  and  hereditary  Sheriff  of  Argyleshire ;  his  grace  being 
descended  from  Isabel,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Lord  Lorn,  who 
married  the  first  Earl  of  Argyll,  and  also  inherited  the  estate 
of  the  Mac  Dougals. 

The  lymphad,  or  galley,  which  occurs  so  very  frequently  in 
Scottish  heraldry,  is  the  Highland  fishing  Imat,  one  of  which  is 


represented  on  a  sculptured  fragment  in   lona    or  Icolmkill,  a 
celebrated  island  of  the  Hebrides.f     The  original  is  cut  into  the 

•  ncdfonlshire  Pedigrees. — LansJ.  MS.  8(J4.        t  Macculloch's  Western  iNlands,  li!l9. 


17< 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


stone,  nearly  in  the  manner  of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  ainl 
the  same  form  was  doubtless  used  by  the  ancient  Greeks  in  thf 
construction  of  those 

Sea-wandering  barks  that  o'er  the  iEgean  sail. 
With  pennants  streaming  to  the  northern  gale. 

A  seal  of  the  family  of  Campbell  of  Craiginch,  where  the  FihIi- 
ery  is  a  source  of  considerable  revenue,  bears  a  shield  gyronny  ot 
eight,  hanging  on  the  mast  of  a  vessel.* 


A  pair  of  oars  in  saltier  is  the  crest  of  the  Campbells  of  Skii>- 
ness,  in  the  district  of  Kintyre,  assumed  with  reference  to  tin' 
situation  of  their  domain  on  the  sea  coast;  the  remains  of  Skip- 
ness  Castle  are  said  to  be  of  high  anticpiity. 

Argent,  a  ship  with  her  sails  furled  sable,  is  the  ensign  of  tlie 
Earldom  of  Arran,  an  island  on  the  western  coast  of  North  Bri- 
tain, and  is  l)orne  with  the  arms  of  his  paternal  house  by  the 
Duke  of  Hamilton,  K.G.,  premier  peer  of  Scotland. 

Azure,  in  the  base  waves  vert,  a  ship  in  full  course  or,  rigged 
gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Craike,  a  name  derived  from 
Carack,  a  ship.  It  was  from  the  nautilus,  a  shell-fish,  and  a  re- 
presentative in  miniature  of  a  ship,  that  the  primitive  idea  of 
navigation  was  acquired  :  man  first 

Learnt  of  the  little  nautilus  to  sail. 

Spread  the  thin  oar,  and  catch  the  dri\-ing  gale. 

The  primeval  boat  may  have  been  an  excavated  tree,  but  ves- 

•  Nisbet's    Ilenddrv. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  177 

«  U  were  soon  afterwards  formed  of  small  planks :  the  riggings 
ui"  Uiuts  on  Eg}*ptiau  monuments  proves  that  they  were  in- 
truded for  the  river.  Some  of  the  boats  of  the  Britons  were 
%utru-iont  for  voyages  from  Orkney  to  Ireland  ;  in  the  western 
»«l.inds  they  were  built  of  oak  planks,  and  carried  one  mast  and 
ik-iil,  with  which  the  intrepid  mariners  boldly  launched  into  the 
«>conn,  neither  intimidated  by  danger  nor  subdued  by  difficulties. 

The  mode  practised  by  the  bold  navigators  of  the  stormy 
northern  ocean  of  steering  their  course,  before  the  mariner's  com- 
pass was  in  use,  was  exceedingly  simple.  Flok,  -a  Norwegian, 
when  sailing  from  Gardarsholme,  in  Shetland,  to  Iceland,  took 
on  board  some  crows ;  and,  after  making  part  of  his  course,  he 
threw  up  a  crow,  which  seeing  land  astern,  flew  to  it :  keeping 
liis  course  some  time  longer,  the  second  crow  sent  out,  seeing  no 
land,  returned  to  the  vessel :  the  last  crow  thrown  up,  seeing 
land  ahead,  immediately  flew  for  it ;  and  Flok,  following  his 
guide,  fell  in  with  the  eastern  part  of  the  island.* 

The  invention  of  the  mariner's  compass  is  ascribed  to  Flavio  di 
Melfi,  a  Neapolitan,  about  the  year  1302,  and  in  commemoration 
of  this  discovery,  the  territory  of  Principato,  where  he  was  born, 
assumed  the  compass  for  an  armorial  distinction.  The  variation 
of  the  compass  was  unknown  till  Columbus,  in  his  first  voyage, 
observed  that  the  needle  declined  from  the  meridian  as  he  ad- 
vanced across  the  Atlantic ;  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  was 
discovered  by  Robert  Norman  in  1-576. 

Even  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  .century  England  possessed . 
no  royal  navy ;  her  fleets  were  hired  of  the  Venetians,  Genoese, 
and  Hanse  Towns,  or  provided  by  the  merchants,  and  the  Cinque 
Ports.  No  ship  carried  three  masts  before  the  year  1488,  when 
the  "  Great  Harry "  was  launched,  and  Mhich  appears  to  have 
been  the  first  with  that  number.  In  151.5  the  '•  Henri  Grace  de 
Dieu"'"'  was  built  with  port-holes  ;  previously  ships  had  but  one 
deck,  and  by  the  invention  of  ports  the  number  of  decks  was 
mcreased  to  two,  and  even  three.  Queen  Elizabeth,  being  aware 
how  much  the  defence  of  her  kingdom  depended  on  its  naval 
armaments,  encouraged  every  attenii)t  to  increase  its  force  and 
promote  the  arts  of  navigation  and  commerce. 

A  ship  under  reef,  drawn  round  the  globe  with  a  cable  bv  a 
hand  out  of  the  clouds,   and   over  it  this  motto,  "  Auxilio   Di- 

*  Macpherson's  Annals  of  Commerce    1803. 


178 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


vino,"  is  the  crest  of  the  ftimily  of  Drake  of  Buckland,  in  Devon- 
shire, heirs  antl  representatives  of  the  celebrated  circumnavi^jator. 
Sir  Francis  Drake,  who  was  loiighted  by  Queen  EHzabcth  on 
board  his  own  ship,  the  Golden  Hmd,  at  Deptford,  4  xVpril 
1581. 

The  impressions  of  the  seals  belonging  to  the  corporations  of 
the  Cinque  Ports,  and  their  dependencies,  show  the  form  of  the 
earhest  ship,  the  tenure  by  which  their  privileges  were  held. 
These  w^ere,  Dover,  Hastings,  Romney,  Sand\\-ich,  Fevershani, 
Hythe,  Pevensey,  Rye,  and  Winchilsea.  Upon  the  seal  of  the 
Barons  of  Dover  is  a  faithful  representation  of  the  fishing  vessel 
of  the  time  of  Edward  I. 


The  Barons  of  the  Cinque  Ports  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III. 
were  bound  to  furnish  the  King  with  fifty-seven  ships,  when 
summoned,  to  go  to  war.  Shoreham,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Adur, 
as  well  as  Seaford  and  Tcuterdcu,  bears  the  fishing  vessel,  as  an 
ensign,  on  the  town  seal.  The  same  emblem  of  maritime  im- 
portance is  to  be  found  on  the  early  seals  of  the  ports  of  Yar- 
mouth and  Ipswich,  of  Newport  and  Newtown  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  of  Lyuiington,  Lyme,  and  of  Portsmouth.  In  Wales, 
the  corporation  seals  of  Haverford  West  and  Beaumaris  are  also 
so  distingiu'shed. 

The  mottos  of  some  towns  in  Scotland  are  assumed  Avith  a 
similar  view.     Renfrew,  the   ancient    inheritance   of  the  roval 


THE  HERALDRY  OF  FISH.  179 

house  of  Stuart,  and  formerly  of  more  consequence  as  a  port, 
Wars  "  Deus  gubemat  navem,"  God  steers  the  vessel ;  and  tlie 
royal  burgh  of  Montrose,  one  of  the  best  harbom-s  on  the  eastern 
coast,  and  which  gives  title  to  a  dukedom,  bears  as  a  motto 
"  Mare  ditat,  rosa  decorat,""  the  sea  enriches  and  the  rose 
adorns. 

Lordships,  or  fiefs,  situated  on  the  sea-coast  possess  various 
ri'Thts  of  anchorage,  salvage,  and  fishing ;  not  only  all  kinds  of 
ships  and  boats,  but  their  several  parts,  are  consequently  found 
in  the  heraldry  of  lords  of  maritime  manors.  Shields  of  arms  are 
charged  with  hulls,  stems,  sterns,  and  rudders,  masts  with  their 
tops  and  tackling,  sails,  oars,  cables,  and  anchors.  It  is  of  parts 
of  a  ship  also  that  the  naval  crown  is  formed.* 

The  buoy  of  a  ship,  blazoned  or,  is  a  cognizance  of  the  Ne\'illes, 
in  allusion  to  the  office  of  Admiral,  hold  by  their  ancestor  under 
the  Norman  kings.  The  Earl  of  Abergavenny  also  quarters 
with  his  paternal  arms,  or,  fretty  gules,  on  a  canton  per  pale 
ermine  and  of  the  first,  a  galley  sable,  for  Xeville  the  admiral ; 
the  charges  bearing  allusion  to  the  net  and  the  fishing  vessel, 
pressed  into  the  king's  service  on  occasion  of  war. 

A  ship  under  full  sail  was  the  device  of  Andrea  Doreo,  Admi- 
ral of  Spain,  with  the  motto  "  Omnia  fortunre  committo,"  I 
commit  all  to  fortune.  Gules,  the  hull  of  a  ship,  having  only  a 
mast  -without  rigging  or,  were  the  arms  of  the  Duke  Albertus 
de  Alasco,  of  Poland,  with  the  motto,  "  Deus  dabit  vela,"  God 
will  give  sails. 

The  stem  of  the  Spanish  line-of-battle  ship  "  San  Jose" 
was  granted  to  Admiral  Lord  Nelson  in  ISOl,  after  the  victory 
of  the  Nile,  as  a  crest,  with  a  motto,  said  to  have  been  chosen 
by  the  King  himself,  "  Palmam  qui  meruit  ferat."  let  him  who" 
merits  bear  the  palm.  The  stern  of  his  own  tlag-ship,  the  Royal 
Sovereign,  was,  in  like  manner,  granted  as  a  cre>t  to  Admiral 
Lord  Collingwood  in  1807.  Some  J3ritish  admirals  have  as- 
sumed the  name  of  the  ship  in  which  they  gained  their  renown, 
as  a  motto,  when  it  happened  to  coijvey  some  other  meaning, 
a>!,  "  Zealous,"  "  Temeraire,"  "  Superb,"  Sec.  A  skip's  mast,  the 
top  and  sail  down,  was  used  as  a  cognizance  by  Rene  d'Anjoi:, 
the  father  of  Margaret,  queen  of  Henry  VL  A  mainmast,  the 
round-top  set  otf  with  palisadoes  or,  and  a  lion  issuaut  sable,  is 
the  crest  of  the  family  of  Carew  of  Devonshire. 

•  See  p.ii;e  44,  a  nnval  crow-n,  part  of  the  crest  of  Admiral  Si-  William  Bumaby,  Bart. 

N  2 


180  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

A  rudder  .saWe,  the  tiller  and  stays  or,  is  the  badge  of  tht- 
Lords  Zouche  The  antique  rudder  upon  which  the  goddi>s 
leans,  and  the  prow  of  a  ship  that  appears  at  her  feet,  distin- 
guish Britannia  on  the  Roman  medals  ;  after  the  Conquest  the 
rudder  from  the  sides  of  vessels  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  tho 
stern.  Or,  an  anchor  between  three  fish  naiant  azure,  are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Ilabgood. 


i:; 


f-v^-. 


The  seal  of  the  town  of  Cardigan,  on  the  river  Teivy,  bears,  a 
ship  under  sail,  with  the  legend  "Anchora  spei  Ca^retic  est  in  te, 
Domine,"  the  anchor  of  Cardigan's  hope  is  in  thee,  O  Lord.  In 
the  fishery  of  the  Teivy  the  ancient  coracle,  a  specimen  of  the 
original  British  navigation,  continues  to  be  used. 

The  allegorical  figures  of  Hope,  each  bearing  an  anchor,  sup- 
porters to  the  arms  of  the  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  were  probably 
assumed  in  allusion  to  the  name  of  his  family,  together  with  the 
molto,  "  At  spes  non  fracta,"  but  hope  is  not  lost. 

As  Lord  High-Admiral,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI,  the  Earl 
of  Southampton  bore  the  anchor  as  a  cognizance,  and  it  still 
remains  sculptured  on  the  ceiling  of  the  porch  at  Cowdrav  Hou-e 
in  Sussex,  built  by  him.  In  1539  he  received  the  Lady  Anne 
of  Cleves  at  Calais,  on  which  occasion  he  wore,  suspended  to  a 
golden  chain,  a  whistle  of  gold  set  with  precious  stones,  such  as 
was  then  used  by  officers  of  the  highest  rank  in  communicating 
orders.  The  whistle  is  now  only  worn  by  the  boatswain,  but 
forms  part  of  the  arms  granted  to  Admiral  Lord  Hawke.* 

New  Hampshire,  in  the  United  States,  has  assumed  for  arms 
a  ship  upon  the  stocks.  A  similar  device  is  borne  by  the  town 
of  Devonport,  which  originated  in  the  foundation  of  a  dockyard 
in  the  reign  of  William  III,  and  was  named  by  King  George 
IV.  in  1824. 

•  See  pnge  1 0. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  181 

Tliere  is  a  kind  of  aptitude  in  the  names  of  ships,  taken  from 
the  piscatory  tribe  which  occupies  the  same  re^on  :  the  Levi- 
athan, the  Grampus,  the  Shark,  the  Dolphin,  the  Pike,  the  Otter, 
and  other  inhabitants  of  the  deep,  as  well  as  the  Nautilus,  swim 
the  waters  with  their  synonymous  navigators. 

The  first  preachers  of  the  Gospel  were  fishermen ;  the  original 
church  represented,  as  nearly  as  might  be,  in  its  form  the  body 
of  a  ship,  in  allusion  to  tliat  into  which  Jesus  Christ  entered ; 
which  was  always  looked  upon  as  a  type  of  the  church ;  and  as 
by  the  Apostolical  constitutions  the  Church  was  to  represent  the 
ship  of  Saint  Peter,  the  centre  avenue  formed  the  nave,  and  pre- 
serves the  name. 

A  sign  !     Beneath  the  ship  we  stand  I 

The  inverted  vessel's  arching  side 
Forsaken,  when  the  fisher-biind 

Went  forth  to  track  a  mightier  tide.* 

In  perfect  accordance  with  this  emblem  of  salvation,  the  seal 
of  the  priory  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  Smithfield,  founded  in  1102 
by  Rahere,  a  minstrel  and  favourite  of  King  Henry  I,  was  de- 
signed to  represent  the  church  in  a  ship,  floating  on  the  waves : 
it  is  inscribed,  "  Credimus  ante  Deum,  provide  per  Bartholo- 
meum." 

John  de  Passelaigue — literally,  ship''s  wake — who  was  Bishop 
of  Beller,  in  Burgundy,  on  the  frontiers  of  Savoy,  bore  for  arms, 
argent,  a  che\Ton  gules,  in  chief  two  hearts  charged  with  the 
name  of  Christ,  and  in  base  a  ship  sable,  on  waves  vert,  the  sails 
gides.f 

Fish  have  of\en  been  made  the  vehicle  of  religious  instruction ; 
and  for  this  purpose  all  the  fine  arts  have  been  put  in  requisition. 
Amongst  many  pictures  by  the  first  masters,  in  which  the  finny 
tribe  are  introduced,  that  of  Saint  Anthony  of  Padua  preaching 
to  the  fish,  may  be  mentioned.  This  fine  picture,  by  Salvator 
Rosa,  is  in  the  collection  at  Althorp  House  in  Xorthampton- 
shire  ;  the  sermon  itself  is  given  in  Addison''s  Travels  in  Italy. 

On  the  conventual  seal  of  Glastonbury  Abbey  are  represented 
the  figures  of  Saint  Dunstan  between  Saint  Patrick  and  Saint 
Benignus ;  each  has  his  emblem  beneath  his  ftet ;  the  last  has  a 
party  of  fi,>h  :  perhaps;,  adds  the  hi>torIau  of  the  abbey,  he  also 
preached  to  them,  as  Saint  Anthony  did.:^ 

•  Ecclesia,  a  poem,  by  the  Rev.  R.  S.  Hawker,  A.M. 

t  Palliot  t  Warner's  History  of  Gbstonbarj-  .\bbey,  1826. 


182 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


A  fish  furnishing  the  University  of  Cambridge  with  a  reHgious 
feast  -was  the  occasion  of  a  tract,  entitled  "  Vox  Piscis,*"  or  tlie 
Book-fish ;  containing  three  treatises  which  were  found  in  the 
belly  of  a  codfish  in  Cambridge  market,  on  Midsummer  evt- 
1626  *  This  fish  is  said  to  have  been  taken  in  Lynn  deeps,  and. 
after  finding  a  book  within  it,  the  fish  was  carried  by  the  bedel 
to  the  vice-chancellor ;  and  coming  as  it  did  at  the  Commence- 
ment, the  very  time  when  good  learning  and  good  cheer  were 
most  expected,  it  was  quaintly  remarked,  that  this  sea  guest  had 
brought  his  book  and  liis  carcass  to  furnish  both. 


THE   HAKE. 

Hakes  are  so  abundant  on  the  southern  coast  of  England  that 
as  many  as  forty  thousand  are  said  to  have  been  landed  in  one 
day  on  the  shores  of  Mount's  Bay  in  Cornwall.  In  Ireland  hakes 
are  taken  nearly  all  round  the  island,  and  the  fishery  aftbrds  a 
principal  source  of  employment  in  Wexford,  the  great  fishing 
banks  on  the  coast  lying  immediately  otf  this  county. 


The  mayor's  seal  of  the  town  of  Wexford  bears  an  heraldic 
illustration  of  the  hake,  its  peculiar  produce  :  on  a  fess  wavy, 
bt'tween  three  dolphius  cmbowed,  three  hakes  naiaut,  with  a 
coronet  over  each. 

•  Gieatly  out  of  .  Oaon  ;  cod  generally  comes  into  good  s«'ason  in  October,  and  i* 
pujticularly  fine  till  Muy. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  .  lH3 

GalwayBciy,  on  the  western  coast,  is  particularly  (llstininii.-lii-<l 
as  the  Bay  of  Hakes,  from  the  vast  number  of  these  fish  which 
pursue  the  herrings  into  it.  Galway,  an  ancient  iovm  on  tli«- 
north-eastern  side  of  this  spacious  bay,  bears  on  its  seal  a  fi^hinu' 
vessel,  having  a  shield  charged  with  the  royal  arms  affixed  to 
the  mast,  to  denote  the  regality;  the  fisheries  afibrdingan  import- 
ant source  of  revenue.  The  inhabitants  were  furmerlv  <livided 
into  thirteen  tribes,  each  having  exclusive  commercial  privilege-", 
not  entirely  relinquished.  Otf  the  coast  of  Waterford,  also,  tljo 
hake  is  abundant,  and  it  is  said  that  a  thousand  fisii  liave  boon 
taken  with  the  line  by  six  men  in  the  course  of  a  single  niu'ht. 

The  hake  is  frequently  borne  in  heraldry  in  allusion  to  the 
name.  Sable,  seme  of  cross  crosslets  fitchy,  three  hakes  hauri- 
ant  argent,  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Hacket  of  jSiton,  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  are  quartered  with  the  arms  of  Worsley  and  Pel- 
ham  by  the  Earl  of  Yarborough.  Agnes,  daughter  and  heiress 
of  John  Hacket,  Esq.  of  IS^iton,  married  John  Lye,  Es<|.  of 
Dorsetshire :  their  daughter  and  heiress,  Anne,  married  Sir 
James  Worsley,  Constable  of  Carisbrook  Cattle  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIH. ;  by  which  match  the  manor  of  Apuldercond),  and 
other  estates  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  Worsley  family. 

Gules,  three  hakes  hauriant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  ancient 
family  of  Hakehed  of  Ireland.* 


Another  family  of  Hacket,  also  of  Ireland,  bears  for  ;irin<. 
azure,  three  hakes  hauriaut  argent  ;  and,  vert,  thn-e  hakes  hau- 
riant argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Doxey,  tome  braiuhes 
of  whieh  bear  the  fish  m  the  arms  or. 


Harl.  MS.  o8iJii. 


184 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  bakes  hauriant  gules,  are  tlie 
arms  of  the  family  of  Hake  of  Devonshire  ;  a  part  of  the  country 
where  the  fish  is  abundant.  Azure,  a  dolphin  naiant  between 
three  cinqucfoils  argent,  are  the  arms  of  Hagges  of  Scotland. 


THE    WHITING. 

The  Writing  is  a  delicate  fish,  well  known,  as  it  is  caught  in 
abundance  all  round  the  coast  of  Great  Britain,  and  appears  to 
be  the  same  as  the  merly-ng  of  antiquity.  Merly-ng  fried,  was 
among  the  dishes  at  the  coronation  of  Katheriue,  queen  of 
Henry  V,  which  consisted  entirely  offish. 

This  fish  is  only  borne  in  heraldry  in  reference  to  the  name, 
A  monument  in  the  chancel  of  the  church  of  Shillingford  St. 
George,  on  the  river  Exe  in  Devonshire,  to  the  memory  of  the 
Rev.  John  Whiting,  who  died  in  1726,  bears,  three  whitings 
naiant  in  pale. 


Another  family  of  the  name  of  Whiting  bears  for  arras^  argent, 
on  a  bend  sable  three  whitings.  Thomas  Whiting  was  Chester 
Herald  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  and  probably  bore  the  same 
l)unning  allusion  to  his  name  for  arms. 
^  There  is  extant  a  kind  of  literary  bijou,  a  catalogue  of 
Friends'  books,  written  by  Quakers,  published  in  170S:  this 
is    much    commended    by   Oldys,  the   bibliographer,   who  savs. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  ]85 

"  Honest  John  Whiting  has  in  this  work  borne  away  the  gar- 
land, and  left  it  a  choice  legacy  to  libraries,  and  as  a  looking- 
glass  even  to  learned  academies." 

Azure,   three  whitings   hauriant  argent,  and  crest,  a  whitin" 
hauriant,  are  the  armorial  bearings  of  the  family  of  Whittingtou. 


THE    LING. 

This  valuable  species  of  sea-fish  was  an  article  of  commercial 
importance  in  England  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Edward  III, 
when  the  price  was  regxdated.  The  ports  of  Spain  are  the  prin- 
cipal markets  supplied  with  salted  and  dried  ling.  Argent,  on  a 
fess  daneette  azure,  three  lings'  heads  erased  or,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Caldwell  of  Staffordshire. 


Few  other   instances  are  probably  to  be  found  of  the  aj>itli- 
cation  of  this  fish  as  an  heraldic  bearing. 


THE    BURBOT. 

The  Burbot  is  a  species  of  ling,  but  lives  in  fresh  water;  it  U 
found  in  the  river  Cam,  as  well  as  in  several  rivers  of  Norfolk, 
Lincolnshire,  Yorkshire,  and  Durham,  The  Trent  also  produc.-s 
the  burbot. 

Th.e  habits  of  the  burbot  are  not  unlike  those  of  the  eel,  and, 
from  its  lurking  and  hiding  itself  in  holes  like  the  rabbit,  it  is 
called  the  coney-fish,  whence  it  was  doubtless  assumed,  with  the 
coney,  in  the  arms  of  Bishop  Clienry,  as  a  pun  on  his  name. 
These  are  here  given  impaled  with  those  of  the  see  of  Glouc»'ster, 
created  by  King  Henry  VIII.  in  the  year  1542,  who  endowctl 


186 


THE  HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


the  bishopric  with  the  revenues  of  the  monastery,  founded  in 
honour  of  Saint  Peter  at  Gloucester,  the  church  of  which  he 
ordained  should  be  for  ever  the  cathedral  of  the  see.  The  arms 
of  the  bishopric  were  composed  from  the  emblem  of  the  patron 
saint,  azure,  two  keys  in  saltier  or. 

Argent,  on  a  chevron  azure,  a  coney  courant  between  two 
burbot  or  coney-fish  hauriant  of  the  field,  on  a  chief  chequy 
argent  and  azure,  a  rose  gules,  were  the  arms  of  Richard  Cheney, 
Bishop  of  Gloucester,  who  died  in  1578,  and  is  buried  in  the 
cathedral. 


In  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  Richard  Cheney  was  Archdeacon 
of  Hereford,  but  was  deprived  of  his  preferment  in  Queen  Mary's 
time  for  upholding  the  opinions  of  Luther.  After  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth  he  was  made  a  prebendary  of  Westminster,  and  in 
1562  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  with  liberty  to  hold 
the  see  of  Bristol  in  couimendam. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  187 

IX. 

The  Sole  inhabits  the  sandy  shores  ail  round  England,  but 
those  of  the  southern  and  western  coasts  are  much  larger'  and 
superior  fish.  From  its  deiicate  taste,  the  sole  is  termed  "  the 
partridge  of  the  sea." 

Argent,  a  chevron  gules  behveen  three  soles  hauriant,  within 
a  border  engrailed  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Soles  of 
Brabane,  in  Cambridgeshire.* 


Vert,  a  che\Ton  between  three  soles  nalant  or,  are  the  arms  of 
Soley  of  Shropshire.  The  heiress  of  a  branch  of  this  fomily 
married  Randal  Holme  of  Chester,  deputy  of  Norroy  King  of 
Arms,  and  author  of  "  The  Academy  of  Armoury,"  lO'SS.  The 
arms  of  Soley  are  sculptured  on  his  monument  in  Saint  Mary'n 
Church,  Chester,  where  he  was  interred  in  1700.  Per  pale  or 
and  gules,  a  clie\Ton  counter-changed  between  three  soles  azure 
and  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Soley  of  A\'orce>ter- 
shire.  Gules,  three  soles  naiant  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  De  Solesi 

The.  whiff  or  carter  of  Cornwall  is  a  species  of  sole,  leiy* 
esteemed:  it  keeps* on  sandy  ground,  at  no  great  distance  fntm 
land,  and  is  caught  as  often  as  any  of  the  salt-watt-r  flat-fixh. 
Sable,  a  chevron  ermine,  between  three  carter-fi:^h  Jiaiirianl  ar- 
•gent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Carter  of  Loudon,  assuuuMl 
evidently  as  a  play  upon  the  name. 


188 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


THE   TTJRBOT. 


The  Turbot,  one  of  the  best,  as  well  as  one  of  the  largest  of 
the  flat-fish,  is  found  on  all  parts  of  the  coast  of  Great  Britain. 
On  the  shores  of  Yorkshire  and  Durham  a  very  considerable  fi-h- 
ery  for  turbot  is  carried  on  by  the  fishermen  of  Scarborough 
and  Hartlepool ;  but  preference  is  generally  given  to  the  Dutch. 
the  finest  of  which  are  supposed  to  be  taken  on  the  Flemish 
banks.  Azure,  three  turbots  argent,  finned  or,  are  the  arms  ot 
the  ancient  family  of  Turbutt  of  York.  There  is  a  monument 
in  the  church  of  Saint  Michael  Ouse  Bridge  for  William  Turbutt. 
who  died  in  1648;  another  William  Turbutt  was  Sheritf  ot 
Yorkshire  in  1710. 


}^A 


These  arms  are  found  also  on  an  engraved  brassplate  in  FebV 
kirk  Church,  near  Thirsk ;  which  bears  a  Latin  inscription  in 
memory  of  ^Villiam  Turbutt  of  Mount  Saint  John,  who  dit-l 
13  April  1673.  Mount  Saint  John  is  the  site  of  a  preceptory  of 
the  Knights  Hospitallers  of  Saint  John  of  Jerusalem,  foundt-d 
by  Algernon  Percy  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Henrv  I. 
Argent,  three  turbots  naiant,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Tar- 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  189 

butt  of  Scotland  ;  and  argent,  three  turbots  fretted,  are  the  arms 
of  Tarbutt  of  Middlesex. 

A  turbot  naiant  azure  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Kidley  of 
Devonshire ;  and  a  demi-turbot  erect,  tail  upwards,  gules,  is  the 
crest  of  the  family  of  Lawrence ;  and  was  so  borne  by  the  late 
Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  President  of  the  Roval  Academy. 

Milton  has  a  beautiful  sonnet  to  "  Lawrence,  of  virtuous  father 
virtuous  son."  The  father  was  Henry  Lawrence,  President  of 
the  council  of  the  Protector,  created  a  peer  in  16o7.  He  was 
allied  to  Cromwell,  and,  after  the  death  of  Oliver,  proclaimed 
Richard  Cromwell  his  successor.  He  died  in  16CA,  and  was 
buried  in  the  chapel  of  Saint  Margaret  at  Stansted  le  Thole,  ia 
Hertfordshire,  where  his  arms,  a  cross  raguly,  impaling  those  of 
Peyton,  and  the  crest,  a  demi-turbot,  are  sculptured  oa  his 
tomb. 


John  Lawrence  of  Ramsey,  in  Huntingdonshire,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VHI,  was  the  ancestor  of  the  family  at  Saint  Ives,  in 
the  same  county,  of  which  Sir  John  Lawrence,  the  father  of  the 
President  of  the  Council,  was  knighted  at  Windsor  by  King 
James  I.  previously  to  the  coronation.  It  is  from  one  of  the 
younger  sons  of  the  President  that  the  Lawrence  family  of 
Studley  Park,  and  Hackfall  in  Yorkshire,  are  descended. 

The  Lawrences  of  Ashton  Hall,  in  Lancashire,  are  of  very 
early  origin.  That  estate  has  passed  through  heiresses  from 
them  to  the  Butlers  of  Rawcliff;  from  the  Hutlers  to  the  Rat- 
cliffs  of  Wimersley ;  and  from  them  to  the  Gerards  of  Bromley  ; 
and  Ashton  Hall,  through  the  heiress  of  the  last  Lord  Gerard, 
descended  to  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  R.G.,  who  was  created 
Duke  of  Brandon  in  1711. 

Another  branch  of  the  Lawrence  family  was  seated  at  Ilert- 
ingfordbury  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII,  an<l  became  tdiied  to  the 
great  and  illustrious,  to  the  ambitious  Dudley,  Duke  of  Nor- 
thumberland ;  to  the  Earls  of  Warwick  ;  to  Lord  Guildford  Dud- 


190  THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

ley;  the  brilliant  Leicester;  and  to  Sir  Philip  Sidney.  Lord 
Heyteshury,  as  heir  of  the  Vernons,  is  the  representative  of  this 
branch  of  the  Lawrence  family.* 

One  of  the  peculiar  features  of  the  old  city  of  London  was  the 
number  of  houses  enriched  with  plaster-work,  skilfully  modelled 
in  imitation  of  foliage,  fruit,  heads  of  men,  and  animals,  and 
most  prominent  heraldic  insignia.  A  house  of  this  description 
bore  on  its  front  the  turbot  crest  and  arms  of  Lawrence,  dif- 
ferenced by  a  canton,  and  was  the  residence  of  Sir  John  Law- 
rence, Lord  Mayor  in  1665  :  he  was  the  grandson  of  a  Fleming, 
who  left  the  Netherlands  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  and  settled  in 
Great  Saint  Helen's,  where  Sir  John  built  a  mansion  not  un- 
worthy of  the  Doge  of  Genoa,  "  la  superba."  The  Genoese 
nobility  do  not  disdain  to  follow  mercantile  pursuits,  and  derive 
a  rich  source  of  revenue  from  the  exports  of  the  city ;  in  early 
times,  when  a  nobleman  engaged  in  trade,  his  nobility  was  said 
to  sleep.  The  Emperors  of  Germany  allowed  printers  to  bear 
coat  armour  in  acknowledgment  of  the  importance  of  the  dis- 
covery :  printing  was  then  practised  by  many  who  were  of  noble 
family  as  well  as  by  eminent  ecclesiastics.  The  solidity  of  the 
anchor  used  by  Aldus  corresponds  with  prudence ;  the  dolphin 
was  an  ancient  emblem  of  swiftness,  and  its  meaning  was,  that 
to  work  successfully  it  was  necessary  to  labour  without  relaxa- 
tion, to  be  deliberate  in  choice,  and  quick  in  execution. 

THE   BRH^L. 

The  Brill,  or  brett,  a  fish  of  the  turbot  kind,  frequenting,  like 
that  fish,  sandy  bays,  as  well  as  deep  water,  is  taken  in  abun- 
dance on  the  southern  coast  of  England.  Azure,  three  brettr* 
naiant,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Bretcock  ;  and  the  crest  (»f 
the  family  of  Britwesill  is  a  brill  naiant. 


^.S^-. 


Naturalists  seem  to  be  of  opinion  that  the  celebrated  turbot  of 
Ancoua,  the  subject  of  JuvenaPs  satire,  was  a  brill,  the  Rhombus 

•  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  1815  and  1829. 


THE   HFJIALDJIY    OF    FISH. 


191 


vulgaris  of  Cuvier.  The  fish  v.-hicli  desired  to  be  caiight  for  the 
Emperor's  table  was  of  unequalled  size,  and  quite  filled  the  fish- 
erman's  net ;  nets  are  certainly  used  at  the  beginning  of  the 
season,  but  in  v/arra  weather  the  fish  make  for  deep  water,  when 
the  fishermen  have  recourse  to  their  many-hooked  lines. 


THE   PLAICE. 

These  fish,  commonly  called  Dutch  plaice,  are  taken  wherever 
lines  or  nets  can  be  used  on  the  English  coast,  but  the  Diamond 
ground,  ofi"  the  coast  of  Sussex,  produces  the  fish  most  i-emarkable 
for  purity  of  colour  and  for  the  brilliancy  of  their  spots,  which 
are  of  a  bright  orange  red.  English  heraldry  does  not  aftbrd  an 
instance  of  plaice,  but  Palllot  gives  an  example  in  the  arms  of 
the  Danish  family  of  Bukens  :  azure,  on  a  bend  argent,  three 
plaice  of  the  fields  in  chief  an  escutcheon  chevrony  or  and  gules. 


'*  The  best  fish  swim  near  the  bottom"  is  an  expression  ap- 
plicable to  the  varieties  of  flat-fish ;  and  it  is  remarked  by  the 
naturalist  that,  as  birds  are  seen  to  occupy  very  different  situa- 
tions, some  obtaining  their  food  on  the  ground,  others  on  trees, 
and  not  a  few  at  various  degrees  of  elevation  in  the  air,  so  are 
fish  destined  to  reside  in  difterent  situations  in  the  water.  The 
flat-fish  are,  by  their  depressed  form  of  body,  admirably  adapted 
to  inhabit  the  lowest  position,  and  where  they  occupy  the  least 
space  among  their  kindred  fish,* 

•   Yarreirs  British  Fbhes. 


192  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


THE    FLOUNDER. 

This  fish  is  found  near  the  mouths  of  large  rivers  and  in  the 
sea  all  round  the  coast  of  Great  Britain ;  it  is  termed  flounder 
from  its  manner  of  swimming  when  close  to  the  ground ;  at  Yar- 
mouth it  is  called  a  butt,  and  in  Scotland,  a  fluke,  on  account  of 
its  flattened  form.  Sable,  a  fluke  argent,  is  the  armorial  dis- 
tinction of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Fisher. 


Captain  Franck  gives  a  lively  description  of  this  fish  in  his 
rambling  memoirs  of  angling,  ^\hich  are  full  of  amusement  to 
the  traveller,  the  soldier,  and  the  fisherman.  By  way  of  a  gene- 
ral rule,  he  commences  with — 

He  that  intends  the  flounder  to  surprise. 
Must  rise  betimes,  and  fish  before  sunrise. 

"  The  flounder  is  a  fish  that  ""s  as  bold  as  a  buccaneer,  of 
much  more  confidence  than  caution,  and  is  so  fond  of  a  worm 
that  he  '11  go  to  the  banquet  though  he  die  at  the  board.  He  is 
a  resolute  fish,  and  struggles  stoutly  for  victory  with  the  angler, 
and  is  more  than  ordinarily  difficult  to  deal  with,  by  reason  of 
his  build,  which  is  altogether  flat,  as  it  were  a  level.  Tlie 
flounder  delights,  I  must  tell  you,  to  dwell  among  stones ;  be- 
sides, he's  a  gi-eat  admirer  of  deeps  and  ruinous  decays,  yet  as 
fond  as  any  fish  of  moderate  str^^anis ;  and  none  beyond  him, 
except  the  perch,  that  is  more  solicitous  to  rifle  into  ruins,  inso- 
much that  a  man  would  fancy  him  ai)  antiquary,  considering  he 
is  so  affected  with  reliques."* 

Under  its  name  of  butt  the  flounder  appears  in  the  heraldry  of 

•  Fmnck's  Northern  Memoirs,  1().04. 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


193 


the  family  of  Butts  of  Dorking-,  in  Surrey,  nhich  bears  for  amis, 
argent,  a  saltier  giiles,  between  four  ermine  spots,  on  a  chief 
of  the  secomi,  three  buttfish  ham-iant  of  the  first :  crest,  an  arm 
couped  at  the  elbow  and  erect,  grasping  a  butttish,  or  flounder. 


Argent  on  a  bend  sable,  throe  fish  of  the  field,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Sankey  of  Cawdwells,  a  manor  in  the  parish  of 
Edlesborough,  in  Buckiughamshire.  Sable,  three  fish  in  bend 
between  two  cottises  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Sauki'v 
of  Worcestershire.  The  particular  species  of  fish  is  not  de- 
scribed, but  it  is  possible  flounders  are  iuteuded,  from  the  known 
preference  of  the  flat-fish  to  the  sandy  bottom  of  the  water,  and 
the  slight  play  upon  the  name  aSbrded  by  that  circumstance. 


194  THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

X. 

C6t  C^el,  longer,  anlr  Unmpreg. 

The  form  of  the  "  fine  silver  eel,"  unlike  that  of  many  other 
fish,  is  well  knowm ;  but  the  whiteness  of  the  belly  is  not  the 
only  mark  to  know  the  best  fish,  the  colour  of  the  back  should 
be  of  a  bright  coppery  hue.  Eels  inhabit  almost  all  the  rivers, 
lakes,  and  ponds  in  England,  and  are  found  in  almost  every, 
part  of  the  world.  Being  caught  with  the  greatest  ease,  they 
were,  in  early  times,  more  common  as  food  than  other  descrip- 
tions of  fish.  Fisheries  formed  one  of  the  most  important  sources 
of  revenue  in  the  Anglo-Norman  period  of  history,  and  wherever 
the  produce  in  kind  is  mentioned  it  seems  to  have  consisted  chiefiy 
in  eels,  herrings,  or  salmon.  The  rent  in  eels  appears  to  have 
been  paid  numerically,  and  sometimes  it  was  paid  by  sticks,  the 
eels  being  strung  ou  tough  willow  twigs,  every  stick  bearing 
twenty-five.  The  revenue  produced  by  mills  is  variously  stated, 
sometimes  in  money  and  in  gi-ain,  but  occasionally  from  the  fish- 
ery in  the  mill-stream,  consisting  chiefly  of  eels.* 

Elmore,  on  the  banks  of  the  Severn,  near  Gloucester,  received 
its  name  from  the  number  of  eels  there  taken.  Gules,  on  a  chief 
or,  a  dolphin  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Elmore :  the 
dolphin  being  used  as  the  emblem  of  the  fishery.  The  lords  of 
manors  in  the  Isle  of  Ely  were  entitled  to  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  eels,  so  productive  of  this  fish  were  the  fens,  which 
were  formerly  overflowed  \^ith  water. 

Argent,  a  che^Ton  engrailed  gules,  between  three  eels  nowed, 
or  twisted  like  a  knot,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Radley  of 
Yarborough,  which  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Ankholme,  u 
river  celebrated  for  its  production  of  eels  in  an  old  Lincolnshire 
proverb — 

Ankholme  eel  anc^  \Vitham  pike. 
In  all  the  world  there  is  ne  sike. 

The  eel  occurs  frequently  in  English  heraldry  in  reference  to 
a  family  name.  Argent,  three  eels  naiant  in  pale,  are  the  arms 
of  Ellis  of  Treveare,   the  most    westerly  part   of  Cornwall,   an 

*  Introduction  to  DoniC!>diiy  Ikiok,  bj-  Sir  Henry  Ellis. 


THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  195 

ancient  family,  of  vvhlch  John  Elli^,  Esq.  late  M.P.  for  Newry, 
is  a  descendant. 


Argent,  three  eels  embowed,  in  pale,  sable,  are  the  arms,  and 
on  an  eel  vert,  au  eagle  displayed,  is  the  crest,  of  the  family  of 
Eales.  Argent,  two  eels  hauriant  confronte  vert,  between  two 
etoiles  gules,  are  the  arms,  and  an  eel  naiant  vert,  is  the  crest, 
of  the  family  of  Arneel  of  Scotland. 

Five  arrows  or,  entwined  by  an  eel,  are  borne  as  a  crest  by 
the  family  of  Elwes  of  Stoke,  near  Clare,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Stour  in  Suffolk,  of  which  Sir  Gervase  Elwes  was  created  baronet 
in  1660. 

A  hand  gauntleted,  grasping  an  eel,  is  the  crest  of  the  family 
of  Elleis  of  Southside,  in  Scotland,  and  of  that  of  Ellice  of 
Clothall,  in  Hertfordshire.  An  arm  embowed  vested  azure, 
turned  up  argent,  holding  in  the  hand  an  eel,  is  the  crest  of  the 
family  of  Enghancs.-  One  of  the  branches  of  the  house  of  Bretel, 
in  France,  bears  for  arras,  or,  a  chevron  gules,  between  three 
mullets  azure,  on  a  chief  of  the  last  an  eel  argent;  other 
branches  bear  on  the  chief  a  lamprey  or  a  salmon.* 

Azure,  a  saltier  between  four  eels  naiant  or,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Fleury,  of  Ireland ;  and,  argent,  three  eels  naiant 
in  pale  azure,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Ducat,  of  Scotland. 
Or,  a  fess  gules,  between  an  eel  naiant  in  chief  azure,  and  a 
lion's  head  erased  in  base  gules,  are  borne  by  the  Scottish  family 
of  Cuthbertson,  a' variation  seemingly  from  the  arms  of  Cuthbert, 
or,  a  fess  gules,  in  chief  a  sf^rpent  azure,  the  serpent  here  being 
assumed  as  an  emblem  of  the  name  of  Cuthbert,  which  implies 
one  famed  for  knowledge  : 

Quiijue  gerit  certum  Cuthbert  de  luce  vocanien. 

A  heron's  head,  with  an  eel  in  its  bill,  is  the  crest  of  the  family 

♦  Palliot. 

o2 


196  THE   HERALDRY   OF   FISH. 

of  Mercer  of  AUlic,  in  Perthslaro,  and,  with  their  motto,  "  Grit 
Poiil/"'  is  scalptured  on  the  Castle  of  Ahlie,  erected  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  A  demi-stork,  sviugs  expanded  sable,  the  outside 
of  the  wings  aigeut,  holdiuo-  in  the  hill  an  eel  azui-e,  was  borne 
on  a  wreath  argent  and  vert,  by  Sir  John  Styell  in  the  reign  of 
Hcmy  VIII.*  ^ 


Two  storks,  with  wings  elevated,  and  an  eel  in  the  bill  of  each, 
are  borne  as  supporters  to  the  arms  of  the  Right  Hon.  J.  Hobart 
Caradoc,  Lord  Howden  of  Grimston  in  Yorkshire. 

In  Boisseaus  Heraldry -f*  several  French  families  are  men- 
tioned as  bearing  eels  iu  their  arms.  Lanzon,  azure,  three  eels 
in  pale  argent,  Goulas,  gules,  three  eels  two  and  one  argent,  on  a 
chief  azure,  a  lion  passant  or ;  and  Buzannal,  or,  a  chevron  gules, 
in  chief  two  Cornish  choughs,  and  on  a  chief  argent,  an  eel 
naiant. 

Anguillaria,  an  Italian  family,  noticed  by  Palliot,  bears  for 
arms,  argent,  two  eels  in  saltier  azure,  within  a  border  indented 
argent  over  gules. 

.  Examples  of  eels  in  Spanish  heraldry  are  found  in  the  arms 
borne  by  the  great  Houses  of  Guzman,  Pacheco,  and  De  Lara. 
The  grandees  of  Castile,  in  the  earliest  age  of  heraldry,  assumed 
the  Pendoii  y  Caldera,  the  banner  and  caldron,  as  well-known 
military  badges ;  the  banner  as  the  rallying  ensign  of  command, 
showing  ability  to  raise  troops,  and  the  caldron,  or  camp-kettle, 
denoting  power  to  feetl  them  :  these  charges  are  common  in  the 
oldest  heraldry  of  Spain.  The  French  heralds,  in  their  blazon- 
ing, tenn  the  caldron  ckaiidlere,  and  the  contents  serpents;  but, 
as  the  chaudiere  implies  cooking-pot,  it  is  presumed  they  are 
intended  for  eels.  The  olla  or  pipkin  of  Spain,  in  which  the 
national  and  savoury  stew  is  concocted,  is  etiuivalent  to  the  cal- 
dron of  the  Eico  Jlomlj/e,  or  rich  man. 

"  H;irL  MS.  4632.  t  Pronipiiuin.'  Arniorial,  1057. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


197 


Azure,  two  caldrons  or,  with  eels  issuing  therefrom,  Mitliiu 
a  border  ermine,  are  the  arms  of  the  illustrious  family  of  C«uz- 
man,  and  were  so  borne  by  Cardinal  Enrique  de  Guzman  dc 
Haro  in  1627. 


i^r^~^%^^^ 


Argent,  two  caldrons  or,  barry  indented  gides,  with  six  eels 
issuing  therefrom,  three  on  either  side,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Pacheco ;  and,  gules,  two  caldrons  or,  barry  sable,  M-ith  eight 
eels  issuing  therefrom,  are  the  arms  of  De  Lara. 

The  very  singular  arms,  resembling  eels,  of  the  ancient  Abbey 
of  Whitby,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Esk  in  Yorkshire,  refer 
to  antediluvian  remains,  which  are  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
order  of  molluscous  animals,  termed  by  geologists  Ceplialoj)oda, 
animals  in  a  chambered  cell,  curved  like  a  coiled  eel,  and  liettt-r 
known  as  Ammonites,  from  a  fancied  resemblance  to  the  horns 
of  Jupiter.  The  arms  are  blazoned,  azure,  three  snakes  encircle<l 
or,  as  now  borne  by  the  town  of  Whitby. 

A  weir-basket  filled  with  fish  is  depicted  upon  the  seal,  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  IV,  of  William  Weare  of  Weare  Gilford,  on 
the  river  Torridge,  in  Devonshire.  The  punning  motto  of  this 
family  is  "  Sumus,"  we  are. 

Many  eels  are  taken  in  weirs  fonniHl  on  the  banks  of  rivers  :  in 
the  Thames,  the  eel-pot  or  wicker  basket  is  used  in  various  parts  ; 
being  opposed  to  the  stream,  the   eels  are  thus   intercepted   in 


198  THE  HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 

their  progress,  and  become  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  lords  of 
manors  possessing  the  several  fisheries. 

An  eel-pot,  per  pale  argent  and  vert,  the  badge  of  Lord  Wil- 
liams of  Thame,  Lord  Chamberlain  to  Queen  Mary,  is  now  borne 
by  the  Earl  of  Abingdon,  the  representative  of  Henry  Lord 
Norris,  who  married  Margaret,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Lord 
Williams. 


A  wivem,  with  wings  endorsed  gules,  standing  on  a  fishweir 
devouring  a  child,  and  pierced  through  the  neck  with  an  arrow, 
is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Venables,  Barons  of  Kinderton  in 
Cheshire,  ancestors  of  the  Lords  Vernon  of  Kinderton. 

Per  bend  azure  and  vert,  a  fishweel  or  willow-basket,  in  bend 
or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Wheler ;  and,  argent,  a  chevron 
ermine,  between  three  fishweels,  their  hoops  upward  vert,  are 
the  arms  of  the  family  of  Wylley.  Or,  a  che^Ton  between  three 
fishweels  sable,  are  the  aims  of  the  ancient  family  of  Foleborne. 


The  fishweels  or  weirs  are  exceedingly  picturesque  features 
of  scenery ;  when  the  rivers  are  high,  the  overfalls  of  the  water 
form  a  cascade,  but  at  all  times  they  aftbrd  a  variety  to  the  view, 
breaking  the  line  of  the  river  and  producing  some  slight  water- 
fall. Fishguard,  a  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gwain,  in  Pem- 
brokeshire, derives  its  name  from  the  fishgarth  or  weir  in  the 
river,  which  is  famed  for  its  trout  and  salmon,  as  well  as  eels. 
An  allusion  to   the    dam  or  weir  is  doubtless  intended  by  the 


THE  HERALDRY   OF    FISK,  1.09 

fish  in  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Dame,  sable,  three  fi^h  naiaiit 
ill  pale  or ;  and  perhaps  also  in  those  of  the  family  of  Twicket, 
argent,  a  fess  between  three  fish  hauriant  gales  :  the  name  having 
reference  to  the  small  passage  or  wicket,  in  the  weir. 

A  fishweel  or,  is  tlie  crest  of  the  family  of  Colland.  Gules,  an 
otter  or,  springing  from  a  fishweel  vert,  are  the  arms  of  Jugerde 
de  Beverlak.* 

Sable,  a  chevron  between  ihice  eel-spears  argent,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Stratele  or  Strateley. 


Great  numbers  of  eels  arc  taken  by  means  of  these  long- 
handled  four-pronged  spears,  and  nowhere  is  the  practice  of  eel- 
spearing  more  common  than  at  Streatley,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Thames,  whence  the  family  probably  derived  their  name.  A 
pheon  or,  handled  argent,  entwined  with  an  eel,  is  the  crest  of 
the  family  of  Ewer  of  Luton,  in  Bedfordshire ;  and  an  eel  en- 
twined round  a  shafted  pheon  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of 
Granell. 

THE   CONGER. 

The  Coxger,  or.  sea-eel,  formerly  esteemed  for  the  table,  is 
found  in  deep  hollows  of  the  rocks  on  various  parts  of  the  west- 
em  coast  of  England:  oiF  the  French  coast  are  coii«iiderabl»^ 
conger  banks,  where  prodigious  quantities  are  still  taken  for 
mairjre  days.  In  the  time  of  King  Henry  III.  Rochelle  was 
celebrated  for  its  conger  eels.  The  old  town  seal  of  Ct)ngh'ton, 
in  Cheshire,  bears  a  tun  floating  on  waves  between  two  eougers 
respecting  each  other,  and  upon  the  tun  a  lion  statant ;  a  very 
indifferent  play  upon  the  name  of  the  town. 

•  SUiniatluT. 


200  THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

Gules,  on  a  fess  argent,  between  three  congers'  or  dragons' 
heads  erased  or,  as  many  trefoils  slipped  sable,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Congleton  of  Northamptonshire.  Argent,  a  chev- 
ron between  three  demi-congers  naiant  gides,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Shambrooke. 

Congers  acquire  a  very  large  size,  and  are  recorded  by  natu- 
ralists to  have  occasionally  measured  more  than  ten  feet  in  length 
and  eighteen  inches  in  circumference,  weighing  from  eighty  to 
one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  They  are  borne  in  arms  by  the 
family  of  Conghurst,  azure,  three  congers  hauriant  argent. 


The  head  of  this  fish  is  more  frequently  found  in  heraldry. 
Sable,  three  congers"'  heads  erased  and  erect  argent,  are  the  anus 
of  Hotoft,  an  ancient  family  of  Nottinghamshire.  Some  branches 
of  the  family  bear  for  crest,  a  conger''s  head  erect  and  erased 
azure,  gorged  with  a  mural  coronet  or,  with  chain  and  ring  of 
the  last. 

Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  congers'  heads  erased,  are 
the  arms  of  the  family  of  Canbrook  ;  and,  per  chevron  gules  and 
or,  three  sea-dragons  ducally  cro^Mied  counterchanged,  are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Easton  of  Devonshire. 

The  conger  is  known  to  be  so  voracious  as  not  to  spare  even 
those  of  its  own  species ;  it  has  the  power  to  crush  with  its  jaws 
the  strong  shells  of  lobsters  and  other  crustaceous  fish.  It  pos- 
sesses great  tenacity  of  life,  together  with  gi-eat  strength,  and 
often  proves  a  formidable  antagonist  to  the  fisherman,  if  assailed 
in  its  quarters  among  the  rocks.  These  characteristics  su])port 
the  assumption  that  the  conger  is  the  prototype  not  only  of  the 
wivern,  or  sea-dragon  of  English  heraldry,  but  of  the  poetical 
dragon,  the  dragon  of  the  monkish  lege;ids,  the  representation  of 
Evil,  and  the  serpent  of  the  ronuinces.      It  would  not  be  difiicult 


THE    HERALDRY    OF   FISH. 


201 


to  sliow  that  the  dragon,  a  k-adhig  symbol  of  herahlrv,  has  the 
same  source  a^  the-  Urgimda  of  the  Mexicans,  the  great  serpent 
on  the  Chinese  banner,  and  the  sea-snake  of  the  Scandinavians. 

The  destruction  of  dragon;^  appears  to  have  been  one  of  the 
most  coramou  of  all  miracles  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  Church ; 
besides  the  weli-knoMTi  exploits  of  Saint  George,  Saint  xMicluul' 
and  Saint  Margaret,  ecclesiastical  history  abounds  in  similar 
legends.  The  simple  explaniitfon  of  these, 'lies  in  considering  the 
various  victories  rep--esented  to  have  been  gained  over  dragons, 
as  so  many  conquests  obtained  by  virtue  over  vice.  Sonic  of 
these  miracles  have  another  allegorical  signification,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  be  intended  to  typify  the  confining  of  rivers  within 
their  proper  channels,  or  limiting  the  incursions  of  the  sea. 

The  emblem  of  St.  -Margaret,  their  patron  saint,  is  borne  in 
the  arms  of  the  corporation  of  the  ancient  borough  of  Lynn,  in 
Norfolk.  Azure,  three  congers'  or  dragons'  heads  erased  and 
erect,  the  jaws  of  each  pierced  w-ith  a  cross  crosslot  fiichy  or, 
were  the  arms  of  the  priory  fomided  by  Bishop  Herbert  df 
Losing,  in  the  time  of  William  Rufiis ;  the  same  as  now  bon)<> 
by  the  town  of  Lynn. 


•  Margaret  the  Virgin,  the  tutelary  saint  and  esi)ecial  [latrom-^s 
of  Lynn,  is  repre;sented  on  the  corporation  seal  on  a  dra-fon, 
and  wounding  it  with  the  cross:  the  inscription  is,  "  svn.MAruiA- 

RETA  .  TERITVn  .  DRACO  .  STAT  .  CRVCE  .  L^TA.'"       TllC  SHinC  «Unt,  sul»- 

duing  and  trampling  upon  the  dragon,  is  also  re[>re>cMtrd  on  tli.' 
conventual  seals  of  West  Acre  Priory,  Thetford,  and  Norwich 
Priories,  and  that  of  Saint  Margaret  at  Hilburgh,  all  in  the  s-anie 
county. 


202  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

The  Order  of  the  Dragon  Overthrown,  the  knighthood  of  Huu- 
garj,  was  instituted  by  the  Emperor  Sigismund  in  1418,  for  the 
purpose  of  engaging  the  Hungarian  nobility  in  the  defence  of  the 
frontiers  of  that  country  against  the  Turks.  A  dragon  was  an 
ancient  ensign  of  this  part  of  Germany,  and,  after  Trajan's  Dacian 
war,  was  substituted  for  the  eagle  of  the  Romans,  and  from 
them  passed  as  a  standard  to  several  European  nations.  A  dra- 
gon was  depicted  on  the  banners  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  kings  of 
England,  and  was  so  borne  by  the  Milesian  kings  of  Ireland : 
during  the  Crusades  it  was  considered  as  the  s\TnboI  of  the  Bri- 
tish nation.  From  having  been  used  by  Cadwallo,  and  other 
potentates  of  Wales,  it  descended  to  King  Henry  YII,  and  by 
him  the  red  dragon  was  assumed  as  one  of  the  supporters  of 
the  royal  arms  of  England ;  and  Rouge  dragon  pursuivant  was 
created.  Two  dragons  argent,  were  afterwards  used  by  the  city 
of  London  in  the  same  manner,  but  charged  on  the  wing  with 
the  cross  of  Saint  George. 


THE   LA3IPREY. 

Azure,  on  a  bend  or,  three  lampreys  of  the  field,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Castleton  of  Suffolk ;  and,  or,  three  lampreys, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Lamprell.  The  proper  colour  of 
the  body  of  the  lamprey  is  olive  brown,  spotted  on  the  back 
and  sides  with  dark  gieen. 

Sable,  three  lampreys  in  pale  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Radford  of  Dawlish,  in  Devonshire. 


The  lamprey  is  a  fish  common  in  some  of  the  rivers  on  the 
southern  coast  of  England,  and  particularly  so  in  the  Severn. 
At  Worcester,  where  it  is  prepared  in  various  wRy*}  for  the  table. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  203 

the  lamprey  is  in  high  estimation;  and  it  has  been  a  custom 
for  the  citizens  of  Gloucester  annually  to  present  the  soverei<rii 
with  a  lamprey  pie.  The  lamproun,  which  often  occurs  in  oKl 
accounts  of  provisions,  is  supj)osed  to  be  a  different  fish  from  the 
lamprey ;  both  are  mentioned  as  provided  for  Archbishop  War- 
ham's  installation  feast  in  1503.  The  murana  of  the  Komans, 
from  the  Mediterranean,  generally  translated  lamprey,  is  also  a 
different  fish,  more  of  the  eel  kind. 

The  remora,  or  sucking-fish,  common  in  the  Mediterranean, 
was  well  known  to  the  Romans,  and  is  famed  for  its  power  over 
the  vessel  of  the  mariner : — 

The  sucking-fish  beneath,  with  secret  chains 
Clung  to  the  keel,  the  swiftest  ship  detains. 

It  is  mentioned  as  borne  in  arms  on  the  authority  of  Peacham.* 
That  quaint  writer  says,  "  Of  fishes  you  shall  find  in  armes  the 
whale,  the  dolphin,  the  salmon,  the  trout,  barbel,  turbot,  her- 
ring, roach,  remora,  and  escallop  shells ; "  and  adds,  that  "  you 
must  be  very  heedful  in  the  blazoning  of  fishes,  by  reason  of  "the 
variety  of  their  natures."  The  arms  bearing  the  remora,  alluded 
to  by  Peacham,  are  not  knoTVTi ;  but  as  an  emblem  of  prudence 
this  fish  is  used  in  heraldry.  The  dexter  supporter  of  the  arms 
of  the  Earl  Howe  is  described,  in  some  authorities,  as  Prudence 
habited  argent,  mantled  azure,  holding  a  javelin  entwined  with  a 
remora.  It  is  a  fish  seldom  exceeding  a  foot  in  length ;  the  tail 
and  fins  are  comparatively  very  small. 

•  On  Blazoning  Arms,  in  the  Gentleman's  Exercise,  1630. 


204. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


XI. 

Utit  Sturgeon* 

The  Stukgeon,  a  large  sea  fish,  is  occasionally  caiiglit  on  tlu> 
ea^itern  coast  of  England,  and,  when  taken  near  land,  is  con- 
sidered a  royal  fish,  and  is  sent  to  the  king. 

Whatever  fish  the  vulgar  fiy  excell 
Belong  to  Caesar,  wheresoe'er  they  swim. 
By  their  own  worth  confiscated  to  him. 

In  the  northern  parts  of  Europe  this  fish  is  numerous.  A  gveni 
sturgeon  fishery  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wolga,  in  the  Caspian 
Sea.  They  are  caught  in  weirs,  similar  to  those  used  in  Scotland 
for  salmon.  Sturgeon  are  abundant  in  the  Danube,  and  attain 
a  large  size  ;  but  those  taken  in  the  Theiss,  one  of  the  branches  of 
that  river,  are  remarkable  for  fatness  and  delicate  flavour.  The 
flesh  of  this  fish,  when  fresh,  is  very  fine,  and  more  like  veal  than 
even  turtle.  It  is  of  the  roe  that  the  caviar,  so  much  prized 
at  Constantinople,  is  prepared. 

Azure,  three  sturgeons  argent,  fretty  gules,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Sturgney ;  and,  azure,  three  sturgeons  naiant  m  palo 
or,  over  all  fretty  gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Sturgeon 
of  Whcpstcad,  near  Bury,  in  Suffolk,  who  bear  for  crest  a  stnr- 
geon  naiant  or,  fretty  gules. 


On  the  monument  of  Sir  JohiuSpelman,  1545,  in  Narborongh 
Church,  Norfulk,  are  inlaid  portraits,  t-ngraved  on  brass,  of  the 
knight  and  his  lady  :  on  the  lady's  mantle  are  the  arms  of  Stur- 
geon, quartered  with  those  of  her  own  family,  Frowick  of  Oun- 
nesbury,  in  Middlesex.  Slie  is  represented  kneeling  at  a  prie- 
dieu,  and  over  the  (inures  is  an  euLa-avin'jf  of  the  Iti'surrection.* 


Eiii-nived  ill  Cotiiia 


.piihhr.il  Unifies  in  Norfolk,  i;;i! 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  205 


'  XII. 

The  Dog-fish  is  a  kind  of  shark,  found  on  tke  shores  of  Great 
Britain  :  of  this  species  thr,  white  shark  is  the  most  terrific  t.. 
mankind,  being  supposed  to  have  a  particular  desire  foi-  human 
flesh.  The  grila  of  this  fish  is  so  wide  tliat  a  man  may  be  swal- 
lowed entire.  A  shark  issuant  regardant,  swallowing  a  man,  is 
the  crest  of  the  family  of  Yeates  of  Ireland.  A  shark's  head 
regardant,  and  swallowing  a  negro,  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of 
Molton.  A  very  similar  crest  was  granted  to  that  of  Garmston, 
mentioned  at  page  67.  Sir  Brook  Watson,  Alderman  of  Lon- 
don, created  Baronet  in  1803,  lost  his  leg  from  the  bite  of  a 
shark  in  the  harbour  of  Havannah,  and  assumed  for  crest,  a 
demi-triton,  grasping  a  trident  and  repelling  a  shark  in  the  act 
of  seizing  its  prey.  The  incident  is  also  commemorated  in  a  pic- 
ture by  Copley,  at  Christ's  Hospital.  Almost  all  the  species  of 
shark  have  received  some  name  resembling  hounds,  as  beagle, 
rough-hound,  smooth-hound,  spotted-dog,  and  dog-fish,  from  their 
habit  of  following  their  prey,  or  hunting  in  company  or  packs. 

Argent,  three  dog-fish  in  pale  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the  family 
of  Gesse. 


Gules,  a  mallet  dog-fish  argent,  are  the  arms  of  tin.-  family 
of  Malvish;*  a  denii  dog-fish  sable  is  the  crest  of  tin.  iiimily 
of  Meer  of  Dorsetsliiie. 

*  Ramllu  Holiiio. 


206 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


Unnatural  animals  appear  in  the  heraldry  of  all  nations.  It  i-^ 
related  that  an  Austrian  nobleman  asked  an  English  ambassador 
at  Vienna,  whose  arms  presented  a  griffin,  "  in  what  forest  that 
beast  was  met  with  V  to  which  the  ambassador  readily  answered, 
"  the  same  in  which  the  eagles  with  two  heads  are  found." 

The  monsters  found  in  antique  sculpture  are  generally  com- 
binations of  parts  of  known  animals ;  the  sea-lions  and  sea- 
horses, originating  in  the  superstition  of  mariners,  are  embel- 
lished by  art  and  fable.  The  lion  and  the  horse  being  wt'll 
known  and  familiar  animals,  the  creatures  of  the  water  obtained 
similar  names,  whenever,  a  fancied  resemblance  would  appear  to 
warrant  the  application  of  them.  Or,  on  a  bend  wavy,  between 
two  sea-lions  sable,  three  bucks''  heads  caboshed  argent,  and 
crest,  a  sea-lion  supporting  an  anchor,  are  the  insignia  of  Sir 
Robert  H^irland,  Baronet,  of  Orwell  Park  in  Suffolk,  who  is  de- 
scended from  a  distiugfuished  naval  commander. 


10 


A  sea-lion  sejant,  is  the  crest  of  the  Earl  of  Thanet,  a  title 
derived  from  the  isle  of  Thanet,  a  district  on  the  Kentish  coast, 
where  the  inhabitants,  partaking  of  the  amphibious  character  of 
tlie  sea-lion,  live  by  sea  and  land,  making  the  nu^st  of  both  ele- 
ments, a.s  farmers  and  fishermen.    The  Earl  of  Thanet,  by  descent 


^%-^- 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  207 

from  the  Cliffords,  is  also  lord  of  the  honor  of  Skipton  in  Craven. 
Two  sea-lions  argent,  giittee  de  I'armes,  were  assumed  as  sup- 
porters by  the  Viscount  Falmouth,  the  title  granted  to  the  brave 
Admiral  Boscawen  for  his  important  services  in  America. 

A  tower  in  flames,  on  its  side  a  sea-lion  azure,  its  paws  pressincr 
against  the  tower,  was  granted  as  a  crest  to  Sir  John  Thomas 
Duckworth,  Bart,  of  Weare,  in  Devonshire.  It  was  this  gallant 
admiral  who  forced  the  passage  of  the  Dardanelles  in  ISO 7. 
A  sea-lion  and  anchor  was  gTanted  as  one  of  the  supporters  of 
the  arms  of  Viscount  Bridport,  second  admiral  in  command  on 
the  memorable  1st  of  June  1794. 

The  lion,  the  king  of  beasts,  is  the  type  of  bold  and  in^•incibIe 
courage ;  and  a  fancifiil  animal,  the  marine  lion,  is  assumed  as 
the  emblem  of  those  qualities,  so  absolutely  necessary  to  a  naval 
commander :  it  is  always  represented  in  heraldry  with  the  upper 
part  of  a  hon  and  the  tail  of  a  fish.  The  sculptors  of  antiquity, 
as  well  as  the  poets,  appear  to  have  had  great  pleasure  in  con- 
verting hons  into  aquatic  animals :  at  Rome  lions  spout  water  at 
several  fountains,  and  on  the  channels  of  roofs  they  are  made 
to  fill  an  office  by  no  means  characteristic  of  the  fiercest  of 
beasts. 

Delphinum  sylvis  appingit,  fluctibus  apmm. 

The  sea-horse,  more  common  in  heraldry  than  the  sea-lion, 
is  also  of  classical  origin ;  the  horse  was  closely  connected  with 
the  history  of  Neptune,  and  upon  Roman  festivals  in  honour  of 
the  ocean  god,  led  horses,  crowned  with  garlands,  formed  a  pnn- 
cipal  part.  Neptune  is  also  represented  flying  over  the  surface 
of  the  sea  in  a  chariot  formed  of  a  large  shell,  drawn  by  winged . 
horses. 

The  poets  of  the  northern  nations,  who  delighted  in  hierogly- 
phical  personifications,  sometimes  term  a  ship  the  horse  of  the 
ocean,  and  the  savage  chief  who  pursues  the  flying  damsel  in 
said  to  traverse  the  waves  on  an  enchanted  steed  in  some  of  the 
older  ballads  and  popular  tales  recited  by  the  scalds.  In  this 
manner  the  classical  fable  of  Andromeda  and  the  sea-monster 
may  be  explained,  by  the  probable  tact  of  her  being  wooed  by 
the  captain  of  a  ship,  who  attempted  to  carry  her  olf,  but  was 
prevented  by  the  interposition  of  a  more  favoured  Invtr. 

Plutarch  admits  that  the  celebrated  monster  Chinuera  was 
derived  from  a  captain  of  pirates,  whose  ship  bore  the  figures  of 


208 


THE    KERA.LDRY    OF    FISH. 


a  lion,  a  goat,  arid  a  dragon.  Ar.other  explanation  is,  tliat  it 
was  a  burning  mountain  of  Lycia,  the  top  of  which  was  tlio 
resort  of  Hons,  the  middle  of  goats,  and  the  marshy  ground  at 
bottom  abounding  with  serpents.  Bellerophon,  who  first  made 
his  habitation  on  the  moimtain,  is  thus  said  to  have  conquered 
the  Chimoera.  King  Philip  II,  after  his  marriage  with  Queen 
Mary  of  England,  assumed  as  a  device,  Bellerophon  fighting 
with  the  monster,  inscribed  "  Hinc  Vigiio,"  implying  that  he- 
only  wanted  a  favourable  time  to  combat  the  heresy  of  this  king- 
dom.* 

Sea-horses,  as  an  emblem  of  naval  dominion,  are  sculptured  on 
the  front  of  the  Admiralty  of  England,  and  are  often  assumed 
as  supporters  to  the  arms  of  noblemen  whose  honours  are  derived 
from  the  distinguished  success  of  their  ancestors  at  sea :  they 
form  the  supporters  of  the  arms  of  the  towns  of  Newcastle -f-  and 
Cambridge,  and  of  the  Pewterers*"  Company  in  London. 

Azure,  a  chevron  between  three  sea-horses  or,  are  the  arms  of 
the  ancient  family  of  Tucker  of  Milton,  in  Kent. 


A  sea-horse  forms  one  of  the  charges  in  the  arms  of  the  un- 
rivalled David  Garrick :  he  was  the  grandson  of  a  merchant  of 
France,  who  settled  in  England  upon  the  revocation  of  the  edict 
of  Nantes,  in  1G85.  Both  the  sea-horse  and  dolphin  were  de- 
])icted  on  the  standard  of  Trevellian  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIIT ;  +  and,  argent,  a  sea-horse  rampant,  issuing  from  waves 
vert,  are  the  arms  of  the  fomily  of  Eckford  of  Scotland.  A> 
a  crest,  the '  sea-horse  is  borne  by  the  noble  families  of  Brudeuel 
and  Jenkinson,  the  Earls  of  Cardigan  and  Liverpool. 

In  form  the  sea-horse  of  heraldry   bears  resemblance  to  the 

*   MiiicstriiT. 

t  The  iirins  of  Newcastle  arc  amoug  the  cmbeliislmicntb  of  Mr.  Martin's  taLolo-ue  "f 
l>rivau>ly  priuU'd  books.  }  Coll.  Topog.  vol.  iii. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


209 


hippocampus  hremrostrls  of  Cuvier  and  the  early  naturalists ;  two 
found  on  the  Hampshire  coast  are  engi-aved  in  Mr-YarrelFs  His- 
tory of  British  Fishes. 

The  griffin,  half  eagle  half  lion,  of  classical  origin,  is  found 
upon  many  basso  relievos  at  Eome  :  the  iron  griffins  ornauicnts 
of  the  Strozzi  Palace  at  Florence,  wrought  in  the  time  of  Lorenzo 
the  Magnificent,  are  curious  specimens  of  art,  and  still  as  sharp 
as  when  they  came  from  Caparra  s  smithy.*  The  sea-grifrin,  an 
imaginative  instance  of  marine  zoology,  half  eagle  half  tish,  ap- 
pears in  architectural  sculpture  on  a  capital  of  the  Anglo-Norman 
Church  of  Iffley,  in  Oxford.shire,t  and  is  also  found  in  heraldry. 
Argent,  a  marine  griffin  sable,  is  the  armorial  ensign  of  the  family 
of  Mestich,  in  Silesia ;  and  a  sea-griffin  rampant,  that  of  Uhq- 
dom,  in  Pomerania,  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oder,  in  the 
Baltic,  belonging  to  the  kingdom  of  Prussia. 


The  unicorn  is  entirely  fabulous,  like  the  griffin  and  chimaira : 
the  long  twisted  horn  which  is  commonly  seen  is  the  weai.on  of 
defence  of  the  sea-unicorn,  a  fish  which  possesses  two  horns, 
although  they  are  seldom  found  perfect,  being  liable  to  be  ile- 
stroyed  by  accidents.  The  unicorn  of  herahlry  is  derived  from 
the  horse  armed  with  a  spiked  ciianfron  ;  and  it  is  this  fictitious 
animal  with  a  fish's  tail  which  is  intended  in  the  Prussian  arms, 
per  fess  argent  and  gules,  a  sea-unicorn  counter-changed,  borne 
by  the  family  of  Die  Niemptscher;  and  gules,  a  fish  with  the 
head  of  a  stag  or,  is  the  ensign  of  the  ftimily  of  Die  l\)gorskcr 
und  RUditzky,  in  Silesia. | 

Capricorn,  one  of  the  zodiacal  signs,  having  the  head  of  u  goat 
and  the  tail  of  a  fish,  is  represented  on  the  medals  of  Augiistus, 
to  signify,  according  to  the  medallists,  his  horoscope,  from  which 
the  empire  was  predicted  to  him  at  Apollonia. 

*  Forsyth.  t  Engrayed  in  Britton's  Architettural  Anti.iuities,  vol  v.  X  Palliot. 


210  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

XIII. 

'Ett  ^eal,  iWermaitr,  antr  €xiton* 

The  seal  is  an  amphibious  animal,  living  chiefly  in  the  water, 
being  provided  with  two  broad  fin-like  feet  for  swimmiiii:. 
Phocse,  or  Fochia,  a  seaport  of  Ionia,  received  its  name  from 
the  seals  which  abound  in  its  vicinity.  The  rude  state  of  .sci- 
ence and  the  ignorance  of  the  earlier  naturalists  have  alreadv 
been  mentioned ;  the  seal  was  consequently  assumed  in  herahlrv 
as  a  fish,  though  not  considered  as  such  by  modern  zoologists. 

The  seal  frequents  the  mouth  of  the  Tecs,  and  commits  havoc 
among  the  salmon ;  it  is  also  found  in  the  river  Severn  ;  a  stuffed 
seal,  long  preserved  in  the  hall  of  Berkeley  Castle,  was  the  here* 
of  many  traditional  tales  of  captives  devoured  by  it.  Both  seaN 
and  porpoises  kept  their  place  on  the  table  as  late  as  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixteenth  century :  there  were  twelve  porpoises  and 
seals  brought  for  the  feast  when  Archbishop  Nevile  was  en- 
throned at  York  in  1465,  and  both  are  mentioned  in  the  account 
of  Archbishop  Warhani's  feast  in  1503. 

Parts  of  the  seal  are  borne  in  the  heraldry  of  some  ancient 
families  of  Great  Britain.    Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  seal-' 


^MA^ 


heads  couped  sable,  were  the  arms  of  .Tames  Lord  Ley,  a  distin- 
guished lawyer.  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  mid 
Lord  Treasurer  of  England,  in  tlie  reign  of  James  I,  and  who 
was  created  Earl  of  Marlborough  bv  Kincr  Charles  L 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  211 

Or,  a  seal's  foot  erased  and  erect  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Beringburgh ;  and,  argent,  a  chevron  between  three 
seals'  feet  erased  and  erect  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the  tov^ii  of 
Yarmouth.* 

Among  the  islands  and  on  the  shores  of  Scotland  seals  are 
plentiful.  Broadford,  in  the  Isle  of  Skje,  is  situated  ou  the 
Streamlet  of  Seals.  Two  seals  are  the  supporters  of  the  arms  of 
Sir  Fitz  Roy  J.  G.  Maclean,  Baronet,  whose  ancestor.  Sir  Lnch- 
Jan  Maclean  of  Morvern,  in  the  Isle  of  Mull,  was  so  created  by 
King  Charles  I.  in  1632. 

Around  Juan  Fernandez  are  always  seen  thousands  of  seals, 
either  sitting  on  the  shores  of  the  bays,  or  going  and  coming  in 
the  sea,  round  the  island.  It  is  the  opinion  of  an  eminent  natu- 
ralist that  the  seal  was  the  prototype  of  the  mermaid  and  triton, 
the  splendid  fictions  of  the  classical  poets ;  its  round  head  and 
hand-like  feet,  he  urges,  might  readily  aid  the  imagination  in 
forming  a  creature  half  human,  half  fish ;  no  egregious  violation 
of  verisimilitude  is  required,  and  the  distortion  of  actual  fact 
might  arise  from  the  result  of  fear,  or,  what  is  more  probable, 
from  the  love  of  the  marvellous,  natural  to  superstition. -f- 

The  relation  of  a  being  half  fish  and  half  human,  is  of  the  ear- 
liest authority ;  Berosus  |  mentions  a  fish,  Cannes,  worshipped 
in  Chaldea,  which  had  the  body  of  a  fish  with  the  head  and 
hands  of  a  man;  a  compound  deity,  imagined,  probably,  in  allu- 
sion to  some  stranger  who  had  arrived  in  a  ship,  and  had  in- 
structed the  people  in  the  arts  of  civilization.  In  Canada  the 
Nibanaba,  half  human  half  fish,  dwells  in  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior,  according  to  the  fanciful  mythology  of  the  Indians. 

The  accounts  of  the  appearance  of  mermaids  are  vt-ry  numer 
rous ;  there  is  testimony  enough  to  establish  their  former  exist- 
ence in  history,  exhibiting  instances  of  the  credulity,  not  of  the 
weak  and  illiterate,  but  of  men  of  learning,  the  best  instructiMl  of 
any  in  the  ages  in  which  they  lived. 

It  is  very  rare  that  more  than  one  mermaid  is  reported  to 
have  been  seen  at  a  time,  but  it  appears  that  on  tlie  coast  of 
Ceylon-  some  fisliermen,  in  the  year  1560,  brought  up  at  one 
draught  of  the  net  no  less  than  seven  mermaids  and  nu-rmeu ;  of 
which  fact  several  Jesuits  were  witnesses.  The  physician  to  the 
Viceroy  of  Goa,  who  examined  them  with  care,  and  dissected 

"  Guilliin.  t  Bell's  British  Quadrupeds.  5^  BaLylonian  Aiitiiiuitio*. 

p  *2 


212  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

them,   asserted  tliat,  internally  as  well  as  externally,  they  wore 
found  conformable  to  human  beings.* 

In  the  museum  at  Surgeons'  Hall  is  preserved  a  fish,  which 
is  classed  by  the  naturalists  of  the  present  day  among  the  maui- 
maha,  a  species  of  that  kind  which  gave  rise  to  the  fabulous 
stories  of  the  mermaid :  it  is  about  eight  feet  in  length,  and 
bears  resemblance  to  the  seal.  The  fins  terminate,  internally,  in 
a  structure  like  the  human  hand  ;  the  breasts  are  very  prominent, 
and  their  situation  on  the  body  has  led,  no  doubt,  to  the  popular 
belief:  in  other  respects  the  face  of  the  fish  is  far  from  looking 
like  that  of  the  human  race,  and  the  long  hair  of  the  mermaid  is 
entirely  wanting.  It  was  brought  from  Bencoolen,  in  Sumatra, 
in  December  1820.f 

A  form  enormous !  far  iinlike  the  race 

Of  human  birth,  in  stature  or  in  face. 

Advocates  for  the  existence  of  the  mermaid  are  not  wanting  in 
modern  times,  and  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  show  that 
such  a  creature,  as  it  is  usually  described,  must  be  utterly  de- 
fenceless in  the  wide  ocean,  and  consequently  the  prey  of  the 
shark  and  every  other  sea-monster  that  approached,  being  with- 
out speed  to  fly  or  strength  to  resist.  ISIermaids  could  only 
exist  in  the  sea,  like  other  defenceless  fish,  by  going  in  large 
shoals,  and  preser\-ing  their  race  from  destruction  by  their  num- 
bers ;  but,  if  so,  the  disputed  fiict  of  their  existence  would  long 
ago  have  been  cleared  up. 

"  Few  eyes,"  says  Sir  Thomas  Browne, j  "  have  escaped  the 
picture  of  a  mermaid ;  Horace's  monster,  with  woman's  head 
above  and  fishy  extremities  below,  answers  the  shape  of  the 
ancient  syrens  that  attempted  upon  Ulysses."  The  s}Tens  were 
three  in  number,  inhabiting  an  island  off  Cape  Pelorus :  §  the>e 
nj-mphs,  emblematical  of  the  allurements  of  pleasure,  are  repre- 
sented as  beaut ifid  women  to  the  waist,  and  otherwise  formed 
like  fish,  deriving  their  name  from  the  most  obvious  part  of 
their  character,  singing;  their  melodious  voices  charmed  all 
who  approached  them,  till  Ulysses,  shunning  their  enticement, 
passed  the  dangerous  coast  in  safety,  and  the  point  where  the 
syrens  destroyed  themselves  was  afterwards  known  in  Sicily  as 
Sirenis. 

The  mermaid  of  French  heraldry  is  called  a  syren.     Azure,  a 

•  Hist,  de  Li  Compagnie  de  Jesus. 

t  Gent's.  >[ag.  May  IS^l.  t  Enquiries  into  Vuljjar  and  Common  Errors. 

$  Now  called  the  Faro  di  Messina,  from  the  lij:htliouse  ou  its  summit. 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


213 


syren  with  comb  an-l  glass  ai-geut,  within  a  border  indenteil 
gules,  were  the  arms;  of  the  family  of  Poissonnier :  the  heiress 
of  this  house  marrying  into  that  of  Berbissy,  an  ancient  house  of 
Dijon,  the  latter  assumed  the  syren  as  a  tenant^  or  supporter,  to 
their  ovra.  punnino  arms,  azure,  a  hrebis  or  sheep  argent,  which  a{>- 
pear  in  the  stained  glass  windows  of  tlie  church  of  Notre  Dame.* 
The  mermaid  of  German  heraldry  is  often  represented  with 
two  fishy  extremities ;  gules,  a  mermaid  affrontee,  holding  her 
two  tails  or,  and  croAvned  with  the  same,  are  the  arms  of  Fenn- 
den  of  Augsburg.  The  ncbie  family  of  Die  Eietter  of  Nurem- 
berg bears,  per  fess  sable  j-nd  or,  a  mermaid  holding  her  two 
tails,  vested  gules,  and  crowned  or ;  the  crest,  a  mermaid,  the 
same  as  in  the  arms,  on  a  coronet. -f* 


^^     X 


The  Nereids  attendant  on  the  sea-gods  were  fifty  in  number, 
young  and  handsome  women,  who  sat  on  dolphins''  backs,  an<i 
had  the  power  to  .grant  a  prosperous  voyage  and  favourable 
return..  The  mermaid  is  sometimes  confounded  with  the  nereid 
by  the  poets  as  well  as  painters.^  The  invention  of  the  mer- 
maid,— for  it  must  be  considered  only  as  fiction — has  been  pro- 
bably owing  to  a  desire  of  finding  analogies  and  correspondences 
in  the  works  of  nature. 

As  an  architectural  enrichment  mermaids  were  a  prevailing 
feature  in  *he  middle  ages;  one  of  the  rudely-sculptured  capitals 
in  the  church  of  Figeau  in  Languedoc  is  composed  i»f  uier- 
Dmids.§  The  ancient  sculptors  of  England  were  not  deficient  in 
ingenuity,  and  among  other  fanciful  productions  the  mermaid 
appears  to  have  been  a  favourite  subject.    On  one  of  the  subscllia 

•  Palliot  t  Sibmacher. 

X  This  was  the  case  in  a  beautiful  picture  of  a  nicnnaiJ  by  Hoiin-  Howanl,  R..\.  in 
1841,  to  illustrate  a  passage  of  Shak^-peare.  $  Liigraved  in  the  Voyage  Pittores<iuo. 


214  THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

in  the  stalls  of  Exeter  Cath;^<lral  is  a  raermaiJ  holding  a  fish  in 
each  hand ;  and  anotlier  grotesque  carving,  on  the  roof  of  Dul- 
verton  Church  in  Somersetsliire,  represents  a  mermaid  hokliiicj 
her  fishlike  tail  in  one  hand  and  a  fish  in  the  other ;  on  her  sides 
are  two  fish,  one  iu  an  ascending  and  the  other  in  a  descending 
position.*  A  chasuble  erahroidered  with  mennaids,  worn  by  a 
canon  of  Poictiers  in  1350,  is  engraved  on  his  monumental  slab 
formerly  in  the  Abbey  of  St,  Geuovieve.-f* 

One  of  the  earliest  instances  in  England  of  the  assumption  of 
the  mermaid  in  heraldry  is  found  on  the  seal  of  Sir  William  Bri- 
were  or  Bruere.     This  William  Briwere  was  in  great  favour  with 


King  Richard  I,  and  ecjually  a  favourite  with  Ring  John ;  Jie 
reaped  from  the  bounty  of  the  two  sovereigns  a  plentiful  harvest 
of  lucrative  wardships  and  valuable  grants  :  besides  numerous  in- 
ferior manors,  he  obtained  the  boroughs  of  Bridgewater  and  Ches- 
terfield, and  had  licence  to  build  three  castles  on  his  estates  in 
Hampshire,  Somersetshire,  and  Devonshire ;  he  founded  the  ab- 
beys of  Tor,  Dunkeswell,  and  Mottisfont.  and  died  in  1226.  The 
heiresses  of  the  last  Lord  Briwere  married  into  the  families  of 
Broase,  Wake,  :Mohun,  and  Percy.  His  cousin,  William  Bri- 
were, was  Bishop  of  Exeter  in  1224. 

The  mermaid  of  the  painter  is  represented  as  furnished  with  a 
mirror,  and  comb  for  her  hair;  such  also  was  the  primitive 
toilette  of  the  Shcpherde<s  Torralva  in  her  pilgrimage,  as  related 
by  Cervantes ;  "'  and  these,"  says  Mr.  Inglis,  "  I  have  myself  seen 
in  La  Maucha'  carried  by  a  young  woman,  who  had  little  else  to 
cai«y.''  + 

A  mermaid  is  the  crest  of  the  Lords  Byron   of  liochdale,  a 

*  Gent'8.  Mag.  for  18.'J4. 

t  One  of  the  suljjects  of  Mr.  Sliaw's  Deconitioiis  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

^  Rambles  in  the  Footsteps  of  Don  Quixote. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FiSIL  215 

family  renowned  from  tlie  Conquest,  several  of  that  liou-^e  havin<>- 
been  mentioned  in  history.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  V^III,  tlit; 
Priory  of  Newstead  was  gTanted  by  that  monarch  to  Sir  John 
Byron,  Constable  of  Nottingham  Castle  and  W  ardeu  of  Sherwood 
Forest.  Another  Sir  John  BjTon  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Edgehill  and  Marston  Moor :  in  the  latter  his  three  brothers 
also  bore  a  part. 

On  Marston,  with  Rupert,  'gr^iiust  traitors  contending, 
Four  brothers  enrich'd  with  their  blood  the  bieak  iield  ; 

For  the  rights  of  a  monarch,  their  country  defending. 
Till  death  their  attachme-it  to  royaltv  scal'd. 

George  Gordon  Noel,  Lord  LJyron,  the  celebrated  poet,  was  de- 
scended from  Admiral  Byron,  who,  in  the  ship  Dolphin,  circum- 
navigated the  globe.* 

A  mermaid  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Marbury  of  Walton, 
near  Kimcorn,  in  Cheshire,  which  became  possessed  of  that  manor 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  by  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  the 
Waltons,  its  former  lords.  It  is  also  the  crest  of  the  ancient 
family  of  Skeffington,  of  Skeffington  in  Leicestershire ;  and  is 
borne  by  its  present  representatives.  Viscount  Massareene,  Vis- 
count Ferrard,  and  Sir  Lumley  Skeffington,  Baronet. 

The  Earl  of  Portsmouth  bears  a  mermaid  for  a  crest ;  Sir 
John  Wallop,  K.  G.  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  a  distinguished 
admiral  of  this  family,  bore  a  black  mermaid  with  golden  hair. 


Lord  Herbert  relates  that  "  Sir  John  Wallop  burnt  divers 
ships  and  one-and-t'wenty  villages,  landing  many  times  in  despite 
of  the  French,  which  seemed  the  more  strange,  that  his  soldier>< 
exceeded  not  eight  hundred  nien.""-f- 

•  Lord  Byron,  who  sacrificed  his  lifo  in  the   cause  of  the  Greeks  assunu-d  the  nnns 
and  crest  of  the  house  of  Noel  with  the  motto  of  Byron,  iiftor  liis  iiurri.igo. 
t  Life  of  Ilenrv  VIII. 


21(1  THE   HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

It  may  be  remarked  that,  however  singnhir  a  black  memialJ 
may  appear,  a  black  vir^n  is  not  uncommon  in  the  churches  ot' 
the  Continent,  and  the  richest  shrine  in  Bavaria  is  that  of  the 
Black  Virgin  of  Alttiting. 

The  mermaid,  as  a  crest,  is  found  in  heraldry  to  be  almost  as 
abundant  as  salmon  in  the  Tay ;  it  is  borne  by 

a  hundred  knights, 

Approved  in  fights,  and  men  of  mighty  name. 

A  few  instances  of  note  will  show  the  prevalence  of  this  remark- 
able combination  in  heraldry :  the  form  of  the  mermaid,  that  of 
a  most  beautiful  woman,  has  the  same  poetical  origin  as  the 
classical  story  of  Venus  Anadyomene,  the  goddess  rising  from 
the  sea,  near  Cyprus,  wafted  on  shore  by  Zephyrs,  and  received 
by  the  Seasons.  In  this  form,  but  with  a  fish  tail,  the  mermaid 
is  borne  as  a  crest  by  the  families  of  Bonham,  Broadhurst,  Gar- 
nyss,  Hastings,  Johnson,  Lauzun,  Mason,  Rutherford,  Moore  of 
Wickford  in  Hampshire,  and  Newman  of  Cheltenham :  to  the 
last-named  the  mermaid  crest  was  gi-anted  in  1611. 

Or,  a  mermaid  with  comb  and  glass,  is  the  armorial  distinc- 
tion of  the  family  of  Lapp  of  Wiltshire  ;  gules,  three  mermaids 
argent,  are  the  arms  of  that  of  Basford ;  and  argent,  a  mermaid 
gules,  crined  or,  holding  a  mirror  and  comb  of  the  last,  are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Ellis  of  Preston,  in  Lancashire.  Gules,  a 
mermaid  argent,  comb  and  glass  or,  are  the  arms  of  Prestwich  ot 
Holme,  in  Lancashire,  the  heiress  of  which  family  married  the 
first  Lord  Ducie  of  Morton,  in  Statibrdshire. 


Du  Bee  of  Vardes,  a  French  taniily  mentioned  by  Palllot. 
have  for  supporters  to  their  arms  two  mermaids  each  holding  a 
guidon,  that  on  the  dexter  side  being  charged  with  the  ancient 
arms  of  Burgundy,  the  sinister  with  the  arms  of  ancient  Cham- 
pagne.    Two  mermaids  are  the  supporters  of  the   arms  of  the 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


217 


kingdom  of  Naples,  In  Great  Britain  mermaids  are  assumed  as 
supporters  by  the  Viscounts  Boyne  and  Hood,  the  Earls  ot' 
Howth  and  Caledon,  and  by  the  heads  of  the  famihes  of  Sinclair 
of  Rosblyn  and  Scott  of  Harden.  Two  mermaids  crowned  are 
used  as  supporters  to  the  arms  of  the  borough  of  Boston,  in  Lin- 
colnshire, the  key  of  the  associated  counties ;  these  were  allowed 
and  confirmed  to  the  corporation  in  1568. 

The  mermaid  of  heraldry  is  sometimes  found  without  her  usual 
attributes ;  the  crest  of  the  Kentish  family  of  Sepham  is  a  mer- 
maid proper,  ducally  crowned,  crined,  finned,  and  comb  or,  bear- 
ing in  her  left-hand  sea-weeds  vert ;  another,  on  a  coronet,  hold- 
ing in  her  hands  a  bottle  and  glass,  is  the  crest  of  Van  Voorst  of 
Utrecht.  The  crest  of  the  family  of  Thorne,  of  Melverley  in 
Shropshire,  is  a  mermaid  rising  out  of  a  coronet,  crined  or,  with 
a  dolphin  hauriant  of  the  same,  devouring  her  left-hand.  An 
example  is  also  found  in  the  crest  of  Die  Erstenbergcr :  the 
arms  of  this  Austrian  family  are,  bendy  fusilly,  argent  and  gules, 
three  barbel  erabowed  of  the  last;  crest,  a  mermaid  without 
arms,  and  having  wings  charged  with  barbel,  as  in  the  shield. 


Favine*  gives  an  example  of  a  crest  borne  by  the  House  ot 
Lusignan,  called  La  Mellusine,  a  very  beautiful  syren  in  a  bath 
or  tub,  who  with  one  hand  combs  her  thick  hair  over  her  slioul- 
<lers,  and  with  the  other  holds  a  mirror.     'J' wo  uieUusines,  their 

*  Theatre  of  Honour,  1C19. 


218 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


lower  half  representing  an  eel.  are  also  described  as  the  support- 
ers of  the  arwi  of  this  illustrious  bouse.  These  were  assumed  in 
memory  of  Isabel,  the  betrotlied  wife  of  Hugh  de  Lusignan, 
Count  of  La  March,  the  Mellusiue  of  the  romances,  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  beauties  of  her  time,  who  was  carried  oft'  by 
King  John,  and  mairied  to  him  by  the  Archbishop  of  Bour- 
deaux.  The  King  afterwards  brought  her  to  England  as  his 
Queen,  and  she  was  crowned  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
at  Westminster,  in  the  year  1200;  after  the  King's  death  she 
married  Hugh  de  Lusig-nan. 

As  a  sign  the  mermaid  is  very  common  in  England ;  the  ear- 
liest literary  club  on  record,  including  a  cluster  of  distinguished 
poets,  was  formed  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  at  the  Mermaid  in 
Friday-street,  about  the  year  1600,  a  tavern  long  celebrated  as. 
the  resort  of  Shakspeare,  Jonson,  Camden,  Selden,  and  the  bene- 
volent Alleyn,  founder  of  Dulwich  College. 

The  tritons  of  the  classical  mythology  possessed  the  power  of 
calming  the  ocean  and  abating  the  most  violent  storms  at  plea- 
sure. Glaucus,  one  of  these  sea  deities,  is  celebrated  as  the 
assistant  of  the  Argonauts.  The  triton,  or  merman,  is  very 
rarely  seen  at  sea,  differing  in  that  respect  from  the  mermaid,  for 
an  ob\'ious  reason,  all  those  who  believe  they  see  the  latter  being 
men,  fishermen  or  sailors;  were  those  who  live  on  the  sea 
women,  it  is  most  probable  that  less  would  have  been  related 
of  mermaids,  and  more  of  the  mermen.  Heraldry  presents  an 
illustration  of  the  triton  in  the  arms  assumed  by  Sir  Isaac  Heard, 
many  years  Garter  King  of  Arms,  with  an  intended  allusion  to 
his  preservation  at  sea. 


Argent,  a  triton  proper,  crowned  or,  his  trident  sable,  issuing 
from  waves,  his  left  hand  grasping  the  hoiid  of  a  ship's  mast ; 
on  a  chief  azure,  the  arctic  polar  star  of  the  first,  between  two 
water-bougets  of  the  second.     Motto,  "  Naufrngus  in  portuni." 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  219 

Sir  Isaac  Heard  was  originally  in  the  royal  navy,  and  when  iu 
the  Blandford,  oflf  the  coast  of  Guinea,  in  the  year  1750,  he  was 
carried  overboard  by  a  tornado,  and  saved  from  drowning  by  his 
shipmates. 

As  a  crest,  a  triton  issuant  from  sedges,  and  wreathed  about 
the  temples  with  the  same,  is  borne  by  Sir  Tatton  Sykes,  Baro- 
net, of  Sledmere  in  Yorkshire.  A  merman,  holding  in  his  hand 
a  hawk's  bell,  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Lany,  of  Newick  in 
Leicestershire,  and  of  Cratfield  in  Sufiblk.  Two  tritons  with  tri- 
dents are  the  supporters  of  the  arms  of  Lord  Lyttelton,  of  Frank- 
ley  in  AV^orcestershire ;  and  a  triton  is  used  as  the  dexter  sup- 
porter of  the  arms  of  the  Earl  of  Sandwich,  the  first  peer  of 
whose  family  was  a  distinguished  naval  commander  in  the  reign 
of  Charles  IL  A  triton  and  mermaid  are  both  assumed  as  the 
supporters  of  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Campbell  of  Ardkinlas, 
from  which  is  descended  the  Campbells  of  Dunoon,  Carrick,  and 
Blytheswood,  all  in  Scotland. 


220 


THE   HERALDRY  OF   FISH. 


XIV. 

Amongst  the  Tarlous  productions  of  nature,  shellfish  claim  at- 
tention on  account  of  their  great  variety ;  the  regularity  and 
deHcacy  of  the  shells,  and  the  beauty  of  their  colours,  are  strik- 
ingly curious.  Each  sea  has  its  own  kind,  and  every  part  of  the 
ocean  is  inhabited  by  its  peculiar  tribe  of  shellfish,  -which  decrease 
in  size  and  beauty  with  their  distance  from  the  equator  ;  those  of 
the  southern  region  are  distinguished  by  essential  characters  from 
the  analogous  species  in  the  northern  seas.  Very  few  have  been 
assumed  in  heraldry,  and  amongst  those  few  the  escallop  holds 
pre-eminence. 

Gules,  six  escallop  shells  argent,  are  the  punning  arms  of  the 
baronial  family  of  Scales,  or  de  Eschales,  of  Middleton  Castle, 
near  Lynn  in  Norfolk :  their  crest  is  also  an  escallop  shell.  The 
seal  of  Robert  Lord  Scales  is  affixed  to  the  i3aron.s'  letter  in 
1301  ;  the  banner  of  the  same  person  is  described  in  the  heraldic 
poem  of  the  Siege  of  Carlaverock,  "  the  handsome  and  amiable 
Robert  de  Scales  bore  red,  with  shells  of  silver." 


The  barony  of  Scales  was  inherited  by  the  male  descendants 
<if  this  Lord  until  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.  wlien  Anthony  Wood- 
vile,  son  of  Earl  Rivers,  having  married  the  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Thomas,  seventh  I3art>n,  was  summoned  to  parliament  as  Lord 
Scales.  He  assumed  as  a  cognizance  a  gtar  charged  witli  an 
escallop,   to  show  his  aftiuity  to  the  house  of  I3aux ;   and  also 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


221 


instituted  Scale?  Pursuivant  of  arms,  a  kind  of  heraldic  mes- 
senger attached  to  his  household.  At  the  death  of  Anthonv 
Lord  Scales  -without  issue,  the  barony  fell  into  abeyance  between 
the  daughters  of  Roger  fourth  Lord  Scales,  in  which  state  it  still 
continues. 

Azure,  three  escallops  or,  were  borne  by  the  baronial  family  of 
Malet  of  Eye,  on  the  river  Waveney,  in  Suftolk,  after  the  mar- 
riage of  Sir  Baldwin  Malet  with  the  heiress  of  Sir  Ilamelvn 
Deandon.  At  an  earlier  period  Robert  Malet  held  the  office  of 
Chamberlain  of  England,  and  founded  a  Priory  at  Eye,  dedi- 
cated in  honour  of  Saint  Peter  the  Apostle.  Besides  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  manors  in  Suffolk  which  were  comprised  in  the 
honour  of  Eye,  he  held  many  lordships  in  Essex,  and  granted 
the  manor  of  Goldingham  to  his  good  knight,  Sir  Hugh. 

The  arms  of  Goldingham  are,  argent,  a  bend  wavy  gules,  and 
their  badge  is  an  oyster  dredge.* 


in 

->> 

:n 

i 

D] 

Sir  Alan  de  Goldingham  was  Sheriff  of  Essex  in  1508,  and 
the  estate  continued  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  till 
.Christopher  Goldingham  sold  it  to  Sir  Stephen  Soame,  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  in  1559. 

The  Corporation  of  Colchester  now  holds  the  royalty  of  the 
river  Colne,.aud  grants  licences  for  dredging  its  bed.  The  pearls 
which  are  used  in  heraldry  to  denote  the  gi-adations  of  rank  in 
the  coronets  of  peers  are  the  produce  of  the  pinna  marina,  the 
large  pearl-oyster  of  the  East  Indies. 

The  escallop  is  termed  the  shell  of  Saint  James,  as  being  his 
especial  cognizance.  A  stupendous  metamorj)hosis  was  performed 
in  the  ninth  century,  (to  use  the  language  of  Gibbon.)  wlu-u  from 
a  peaceful  fisherman  of  the  Lake  Genuesareth  the  apo^th-  Saint 
James  was  transformed  into  a  valorous  knight,  who  charged  at 
the  head  of  the  Spanish  chivalry  in  battles  again<t  the  Moors. 
The  gi-avest  historians  have  celebrated  his  exploits;  the  miracu- 
lous shrine  of  Compostella  displayed  his  power ;  and  the  sword 
•  Harl.  MS.  4fi.T2. 


222 


THE    HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 


of  a  military  order,  assisted  by  the  terrors  of  the  Inquisition,  wa- 
suffered  to  remove  every  objection  of  profane  criticism.* 

The  great  Spanish  military  order  of  Santiago  de  la  Espada  i< 
said  to  have  been  instituted  in  memory  of  the  battle  of  Clavi)o. 
in  which  no  less  than  sixty  thousand  Moors  were  killed.  At  this 
battle  Saint  James  appeared  on  a  white  horse,  the  housinir^ 
charged  with  escallops,  his  own  particular  cognizance,  fiQ-litino' 
for  the  Christians  under  Eamira  King  of  Leon,  in  the  year  S44. 
The  saint  was  thus  represented  in  his  military  character  on  the 
standard  of  the  order  used  in  the  army  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 
at  the  conquest  of  Granada :  the  landera  de  Santiago  now  pre- 
served in  the  armoury  at  Madrid  is  of  the  time  of  Charles  V. 
and,  in  addition  to  the  figure  of  the  saint,  bears  the  Emperor's 
arms ;  also  Saint  Andrew  and  the  cross  of  Burgundy. 


Saint  James  is  here  copied  from  the  banner,f  where  he  i> 
shown  as  he  appeared  on  the  day  of  battle,  and  above  him. 
on  the  banner,  is  the  Deity,  pointing  out  the  proper  victims 
of  Saint  James's  wrath. 

The  city  of  Cumpostella,  in  GaUicia,  became  the  seat  of  the 

•  Decline  and  Fall  of  tlio  Roman  Eiui)ire. 

t  Engraved  in  the  Anueria  Real  de  Afadrid,  1U41. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


223 


order  of  Saint  James,  t'loiu  i]ic  legoiul  of  tlic  real  body  of  tlic 
saint  having-  boon  di:5Covorcd  tliere  in  the  ciglith  centurv,  and 
Mbifli  became  ahnost  immediately  an  object  of  pilgrimago. 
Ships  Avcro  loaded  cycry  year  with  devotees  to  his  shrine,  who 
carried  out  largo  sums  to  defray  the  ex])ences  of  tlieir  journey, 
and  it  a]>pears  that  the  pilgrims,  in  many  instances,  united  trade 
with  their  devotion.*  The  peculiar  badge  of  the  order  of  Saint 
James  is  a  red  cross  like  a  sword,  charged  with  a  white  escallop 
shell;  and  the  mottoof  the  order,  "  Ivnbet  ensis  sanguine  Ara- 
bum,''  red  is  the  sword  with  the  blood  of  the  Moors. 


The  escallop  shell,  a  beautiful  ornament,  is  used  in  the  enrich- 
ments of  other  orders  of  knighthood ;  that  of  Saint  James,  in 
Holland,  while  it  existed,  ctjusisted  of  a  badge  and  collar  formed 
of  escallop  shells.  An  order  of  knighthood,  denonn'nated  the 
Ship  and  Escallo])  shell,  was  instituted  by  Saint  Louis,  to  induce 
the  nobility  of  France  to  accompany  him  in  his  expedition  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  particularly  to  engage  their  assi.-^tance  in  the 
works  at  Aigne  Mortes  in  Langucdoc,  where  the  king  and  his 
sons  had  embarked.  The  order  soon  became  extinct  in  France, 
but  existed  for  three  centuries  in  Naples  and  Sicily.  The  collar 
of  the  order  of  Saint  Michael,  f<iun<le<l  l)y  l^ouis  XI.  in  ll-Tn, 
was  also  richly  garnished  A\ith  golden  escallops,  and  bore  jn'iident 
the  figure  of  that  saint  tramjiling  on  the  dragon. 

Argent,  three  escallops  sable,  weie  the  arms  of  Ihickenhani 
Priory,  in  Norfolk,  founded  abf.ut  1  UC.  by  William  de  All)ini 
Farl  of  Arun<lcl.  and  (^uen  Adeli/.a  his  wife,  tlu-  widow  of 
King  Henry  I.  'I'he  sral  of  this  ;in<'i(  iit  IMory  bears  (lie  fej-ine 
of  Saint  James,  as  a  pilgrim,  with  the  r<eallop  >hell  in  his  hal. 
a  jiilgrini's  stall'  in  one  li.aml  .-iiid  a  sciip  in  the  other. 
•  L)r\^:^^u■.i\  Loliors,  ,ait.',l  l,y  .'^ir  Il.nry  V.llis. 


224  THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH. 

Gules,  three  escallops  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the  baronial 
family  of  Dacre,  a  name  said  to  have  been  assumed  by  an  an- 
cestor who  had  served  at  the  siege  of  Acre  in  Palestine. 


The  arms  of  Thomas  Lord  Dacre  of  Gillsland,  who  died  in 
1525,  sculptured  on  his  monument  in  Lanercost  Priory  Church,* 
are  supported  by  the  dolphins  of  Greystoke.  The  barony  of 
Dacre  of  Gillsland,  now  held  by  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  K.G.,  was 
originally  in  the  family  of  Vaux,  and  descended  to  the  Multons, 
the  heiress  of  which  married  Sir  Ralph  Dacre,  who  built  Na worth 
Castle  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III,  where  the  dolphin  badge  of 
Greystokef  is  carved  in  the  hall.  The  well-known  badge  of  the 
family  of  Dacre,  an  escallop,  united  by  a  knot  to  a  ragged  staff, 
is  an  heraldic  composition  indicative  of  the  office  of  hereditary 
forester  of  Cumberland. 

From  the  ]\Iultons  of  Cockermouth  the  Lucy  family  was  pa- 
ternally descended,  and  hence  Percy's  Cross,  as  it  is  called, 
an  ancient  pillar  near  Wooler,  sculptured  with  luces  and  other 
heraldic  devices  of  the  Percy  and  Lucy  families,  is  supposed  to 
be  a  boundary  stone  of  part  of  the  great  Lucy  estate,  which 
devolved  to  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  and  not  the  record  of  a 
battle,  as  generally  surmi^^ed. 

Dr.  Fuller,  in  his  History  of  the  Cioisades,*  describes  the  seve- 
ral adchtions  to  the  heraldry  of  noble  families  derived  from  a  de- 
voted service  in  Palestine,  particularly  the  introduction  of  escal- 
lop shells,  palmers"'  scrips,  and  pilgrims'  staves ;  and  instances, 
amongst  others,  the  gallant  Sir  Nicholas  de  Villiers,  ancestor  of 

•  Enjn^ved  in  the  Border  Antiquities. 

t  The  dolphin  .ilso  appears  in  the  heraldic  enrichments  of  Greystoke  Castle,  the  seat 
of  Henry  Howard  Molyneux,  Esq. 
J  Fifth  Book,  Chapter  xxiv. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  225 

the  Duke  of  Buckingham  of  that  name,  who  originally  bore  for 
arms,  sable,  three  oinquefoils  argent.  "  He  followed  King  Edward 
I.  in  his  crusade  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  then  and  there  assumed 
five  escallop  shells  on  a  plain  cross.  I  believe,'^  the  learned  author 
continues,  "  (be  it  spoken  with  loyalty  to  all  kings-of-arras  and 
heralds,  their  lieutenants  in  that  faculty,)  that  the  will  of  the 
bearer  was  the  reason  of  the  bearing  ;  or  if  at  the  original  assum- 
ing of  them  there  was  some  special  cause,  yet  time  hath  since 
cancelled  it." 

Quarterly,  or,  and  gules,  on  a  bend  sable,  three  escallops  argent, 
are  the  arms  of  the  Lords  Eure,  the  escallops  being  an  addition 
to  the  arms  of  the  house  of  Clavering,  from  which  the  family 
derives  its  descent.  King  Eichard  I.  granted  the  manor  of 
Eure,  or  Tver,  on  the  banks  of  the  Colne  in  Buckinghamshire, 
to  Robert  Clavering,  whose  descendants,  taking  the  name  of 
Eure  from  this  lordship,  assumed  the  escallops  a,s  an  armorial 
distinction,  and  were  ancestors  of  Sir  William  Eure  of  Witton 
Castle,  in  Durham,  created  Lord  Eure  by  King  Henry  VIIL, 
and  of  the  family  of  Eure  of  Axholme,  in  the  same  county. 
The  arms  of  Ralph  Lord  Eure,  of  Witton  and  Multon,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Council  of  the  Lords  ^Lnrchers  of  Wales,  quartered 
^vith  those  of  Clavering,  De  Burgh,  Fitz  Piers,  Vescy,  Aton,  and 
Vesci,  were  formerly  in  the  council  chamber  of  Ludlow  Castle.* 

Azure,  three  escallops  or,  are  the  arms  of  Sir  John  Pringle, 
Baronet,  the  name  being  a  supposed  corruption  of  Pilgrim.  One 
of  the  sons  of  the  second  baronet  of  this  family  was  Sir  John 
Pringle,  President  of  the  Royal  Society,  who  died  in  1 782,  and  is 
buried  in  Westminster  Abbey  Church.  Argent,  three  escallops 
gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Pilgram  von  Eyb  of  Nurem- 
berg :  and  azure,  three  escallops  argent,  a  chief  or.  are  those  of 
another  family  of  the  same  name.  Or,  a  pilgxim's  scrip  azure, 
charged  with  an  escallop  shell  cro\\'ned  argent,  are  the  arms  of 
the  family  of  Romieu  of  Aries,  in  Provence.f  A  demi-pilgrim  is 
the  crest  of  the  family  of  Walker  of  Uppingham,  in  Rutlandshire. 
Argent,  three  palmers'  staves  sable,  the  heads  and  rests  or,  on 
a  chief  of  the  second  three  escallops  of 'the  first,  are  the  arms 
of  the  family  of  Palmer. 

The  escallop  shell  is  borne  as  an  appropriate  crest  by  the 
families  of  Pilgrim  and  Dishington ;   its  use  as  a  cup,  spoon,  and 

•  Documents  connected  with  the  Histnrj-  of  Ludlow,  priuted  by  the  Uon.  Robert 
Henry  Clive  in  1841.  p.  205.  t  Palliou 

H 


226  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

dish  recommended  the  shell  to  the  pilgrim,  by  whom  it  was  con- 
stantly worn  in  the  cap  or  on  the  cloak.  It  was  also  worn  hy 
the  palmer,  who  professed  poverty  and  went  upon  alms  to  all 
shrines,  differing  from  the  pilgrim,  who  travelled  only  to  a  cer- 
tain place  and  at  his  own  charge.  Of  the  latter,  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  has  given  a  sketch  :  * 

Give  me  my  scallop  shell  of  quiet. 

My  staff  of  faith  to  walk  upon  ; 
My  scrip  of  joy,  immortal  diet. 

My  bottle  of  salvation. 

The  cockle,  a  smaller  shell  of  a  similar  kind,  is  used  in  the 
heraldry  of  Prussia.  Barry  of  four,  argent  and  azure,  semee  of 
cockleshells  counterchanged,  are  borne  by  the  Silesian  family  of 
Von  Strachwitz,  which  has  for  crest  two  wings  also  charged  with 
cockles.-f 


An  escallop  shell  without  the  ears,  denominated  a  vaimet  in 
French  heraldry,  is  rarely  borne.  Azure,  a  vannet  or,  .is  the 
armorial  distinction  of  the  family  of  Vannelat,  where  it  is  used 
as  a  play  upon  the  name. 

The  escallop  shell,  a  frequent  charge  in  English  heraldry,  is  con- 
spicuous in  the  arms  of  the  Dukes  of  Hedford,  Marlborough,  and 
Montrose ;  in  the  arms  of  the  Earls  of  Jersey,  Spencer,  Claren- 

•  Remains,  16.57.  t  Sibmacher's  Wapenbiich. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  227 

don,  Albemarle,  and  Bandon ;  the  Marquess  Townshend,  and 
Viscount  Sidney  :  it  is  borne  also  by  the  Lords  Dacre,  Petre, 
Lyttelton,  Auckland,  Churchill,  Lyuedoch,  and  Lyndhurst ;  and 
by  the  Baronet  families  of  Tancred,  Fludyer,  Pollen.  Wigram, 
Cotterell,  Hudson,  Hardy,  ^Morshead,  Graham,  and  Brooke  of 
Great  Oakley. 

The  introduction  of  shells  into  military  equipments  is  a  custom 
brought  from  the  East.  Cowries,  small  shells  covered  with  a 
coat  of  enamel,  are  employed  in  the  caparisons  of  British  hussar 
regiments;  the  bridles  of  their  horses  are  ornamented  with 
strings  and  tufts  of  them,  in  imitation  of  the  "  camels  tufted  oV-r 
with  Yemen's  shells." 

Several  sorts  of  wilks  or  whelks,  turbinated  shells,  are  found 
represented  on  the  coins  of  ancient  maritime  cities,  as  Cuma  and 
Tarentum ;  this  shell  appears  also  on  the  Tyrian  medals.  The 
-purpura  huccinum,  bearing  resemblance  to  a  horn,  is  known  as 
the  peculiar  symbol  of  the  city  of  Tyre,  where  it  was  used  in 
the  process  of  dyeing  the  beautiftd  sea  purple  long  celebrated  as 
the  Tyrian  dye,  now  superseded  by  the  discovery  of  cochineal. 
In  heraldry,  this  shell  is  borne  as  a  play  upon  the  family  name. 
Sable,  a  fess  engrailed  between  three  wilks  or,  are  the  arms  of 
Sir  John  Shelley,  Baronet,  of  Maresfield  in  Sussex,  the  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  heiresses  of  the  Barony  of  Sudeley. 


Of  the  same  lineage  was  Sir  Richard  Shelley,  Prior  of  the 
order  of  Saint  John  of  Jerusalem,  who,  in  loGl,  was  ambassador 
from  the  King  of  Spain  to  Venice  and  Persia.  The  same  arms 
are  also  borne  by  Sir  Timothy  Shelley,  Baronet,  of  Castle  Goring 
in  Sussex,  father  of  the  late  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley,  the  pot-t. 

Gules,  on  a  cIicatou  between  three  wilks  argent,  as  many 
demi-lions  rampant  sable,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  \V^ilkins 


228 


THE  HEii\LDRY   OF    FISH. 


of  Kent.  Gules,  a  fe>;;s  valre  between  three  wilks  or,  are  the 
arms  of  thi»t  of  Wilkinson,  of  Dorrington  in  Durham.  The 
family  of  Wilkinson  of  Bishop''^  Weiirmouth  bears,  gules,  a  chev- 
ron vaire,  or  and  azure,  between  three  wilks  of  the  second. 
Sable,  a  chevron  between  three  wilks  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  John,  some  branches  of  which  bear  a  fess  in  the  arms 
instead  of  the  chevron. 

The  lobster,  the  crab,  and  the  crayfish  are  borne  in  heraldry. 
The  lobster,  as  an  enemy  to  serpents,  was  sometimes  used  as  an 
emblem  of  temperance,  and  two  lobsters  fig-liting  as  an  emblem 
of  sedition.  The  union  of  a  lobster  with  the  human  form,  in  the 
person  of  a  sea-god,  is  found  represented  in  the  house  of  the 
Dioscuri  at  Pompeii.* 

Argent,  a  lobster  gules,  is  the  armorial  ensign  of  the  family 
of  Von  Melem  of  Frankfort ;  the  crest,  two  wings  argent,  each 
charged  with  a  lobster. 


¥'m  VJt 


The  suits  of  armour,  on   the  principle,  of  the  lobster's  shell, 
eons^isting  of  lamina),  being  made  with  overiapping  plates,  which 

•  Engraved  in  Sir  William  CielPs  Pompeiana,  183-2. 


THE   HERALDRY   OF    FISH.  229 

enabled  the  steel  to  give  way  to  every  motion  of  the  body,  were 
called  Ecrec'isses,  from  their  resemblance  to  the  lobster,  by  the 
French  knights  of  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.  when  these  suits  were 
much  used.        ] 

The  shells  of  fish  are  known  to  vary  according  to  the  rough- 
ness or  smoothness  of  the  sea  they  live  in ;  Juvenal's  epicure 


at  first  sight  could  tell 


A  crab  or  lobster's  country  by  its  sheU.* 

Gules,  on  a  bend  or,  a  lobster  sable,  is  the  arms  of  the  Spanish 
family  of  Grilla.  Another  branch  of  the  same  noble  family  bears 
gules,  on  a  bend  or,  three  lobsters  sable.-f-  The  history  of  the 
nobility  of  Spain  is  marked  by  a  very  curious  but  rare  book, 
which  neither  princes  nor  priests  have  been  able  to  suppress ;  it 
bears  the  name  of"  El  Tizon  de  Esjyana,''''  the  brand  of  Spain, 
and  its  purpose  is  to  trace  the  pedigrees  of  the  grandees  up  to 
some  infidel  ancestor,  either  a  Moor  or  a  Jew,  destroying  bv  that 
means  all  claim  to  purity  of  descent,  it  being  a  severe  reproach  to 
the  hidalgos,  that  some  amongst  their  ancestors  stood  on  their 
legs  for  baptism,  "  Bautizado  en  pie,''''  meaning  one  who  had  re- 
ceived adult  baptism.:): 

Argent,  a  lobster  gules,  was  the  armorial  ensign  of  Cardinal 
Nicolas  de  Cusa,  who  "was  of  German  descent;  he  died  in  \AVA. 
Azure,  a  lobster  in  bend  gules,  are  the  arms  of  the  famih"  of  Die 
Gergelase  ;  §  and  argent,  two  lobster's  claws  in  saltier  gules,  those 
of  the  Enghsh  family  of  Tregarthick. 

The  crayfish,  or  river  lobster,  is  found  in  great  perfection  in 
Hungary,  where  it  attahis  considerable  size,  and  is  highly  valued 
by  the  gourmands  of  Vienna;  it  is  asserted  that,  of  all  sht-lUish 
which  industry  brings  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  or  the  river, 
the  crayfish  is  the  most  delicious. 

Barry  wavy,  argent  and  gides,  three  crayfish  or,  are  the  arnis 
of  the  ancient  family  of  Atwater.  Dr.  William  Attwatcr  was  in 
1499  Canon  of  Windsor  and  Registrar  of  the  order  of  the  dar- 
ter; in  1502  he  was  Dean  of  the  Chapel  Royal;  and  in  1.509 
Dean  of  Salisbury.  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  held  him  in  great 
esteem,  took  his  advice  in  all  public  business,  and  procured  him 
to  be  his  successor  in  the  Bishopric  of  Lincoln.  He  uas  ccuise- 
crated  on  tlie   12th  Nov.  1514,  and  dying  at  Wooburn  Palace 

•  Sat.  iv.  Dr.  Badham's  translation.  t  Nohleza  del  And.Jiizia,  l.i88. 

X  Don  Leucadio  Doblado'u  Letters,  bv  J.  BUinco  White.  18'J"2.  §  Sibmacher. 


230 


THE   HER.ALDRY    OF    FISH. 


in  1520,  -wan  buried  in  his  ciitbedral,  under  an  intagliated  slab 
with  his  portrait.  The  arms  of  Bishop  Attwater,  a  variation 
from  the  original  coat,  were  granted  in  1509,  by  Thomas  ^^^ri- 
othesley,  Garter  King  of  Arms,  and  are  here  copied  from  the 
Parharaent  roll  of  1515,  the  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  Kino- 
Henry  VIII.  Barry  wavy,  ermine  and  gules,  on  a  chevron  be- 
tween three  crayfish  or,  a  rose  between  two  lilies  gules,  stalked 
vert,  impaled  with  the  arms  of  the  see  of  Lincoln ;  gules,  two 
lions  passant  guardant  in  pale  or,  on  a  chief  azure,  the  Virgin 
Mary  with  a  sceptre,  holding  the  infant  Jesus,  all  or.  They 
are  evidently  composed  of  those  of  AVilliam  the  Conqueror,  in 
whose  reign  the  bi;ihopr:c  was  established  at  Lincoln ;  the  arms 
having  the  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  the  cathedral  is  dedicated, 
in  the  chief,  or  placed  above  the  insignia  of  the  King. 


A  crayfish  vert,  is  the  crest  of  the  family  of  Dykes,  of  Dykes- 
field  in  Cumberland,  now  represented  by  Fretchville  Lawsou 
Ballantine  Dykes,  Esq.  of  Dovenby  Hall,  near  Cockermouth,  she- 
riff of  the  county.  The  crayfish  is  not  uncommon  in  the  heraldry 
of  France.  Or,  three  crayfish  gules,  are  the  arms  of  Thiard  of 
Burgundy ;  or,  a  chevron  between  three  crayfish  gules,  are  those 
of  Aleschanij)s.  Adtxter  is  a  term  of  blazonry  for  any  inferior 
charge  in  arms  placetl  on  the  dexter  side  of  the   principal ;  of 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH.  231 

this  Palliot  gives  an  instance  in  the  arms  of  Platen  of  Saxony — 
azure,  a  crayfish  in  bend  gules,  having  on  the  dexter  side  of  the 
shield  three  etoiles  argent. 

Pi:awns  are  assumed  in  the  heraldry  of  the  family  of  Atsea  of 
Heme,  in  Kent,  one  of  the  heiresses  of  which  married  Edward 
Craford  of  Mongham :  their  arms  are,  barry  wavy  of  six,  or  and 
gules,  three  prawns  naiant  in  the  first  and  of  the  second. 

The  crab,  the  emblem  of  inconstancy,  appears  on  a  shield  of 
Francis  I,  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  art  in  the  collection  of 
armour  at  Goodrich  Court ;  and  according  to  Sir  Sanuiel  Meyrick 
the  crab  was  intended  as  an  allusion  to  the  advancing  and  retro- 
grade movements  of  the  English  army  at  Boulogne,  under  the 
celebrated  Charles  Brandon  Duke  of  Suffolk,  in  1523.  The  shield, 
the  work  of  Negroli,  a  Milanese  armourer,  was  presented  by  the 
Parisians  to  their  gallant  king  after  the  retreat  of  the  Duke. 

A  golden  crab,  one  of  the  cognizances  of  the  Scrope  family, 
was  painted  on  the  portrait  of  Henry  Lord  Scrope.*  The  crab 
also  appears  as  a  crest  on  the  seals  of  several  members  of  this 
noble  family.-}- 

Argent,  a  chevron  engrailed  sable,  between  three  crabs  gules, 
are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Bridger  of  Warmingliurst,  iii 
Sussex,  the  heiress  of  which  married  Sir  George  Shiiiher,  Baro- 
net, of  Combe  Place,  near  Lewes. 


Azure,  a  chevron  argent,  between  two  fleurs-de-lis  in  chief  and 
a  crab  jn  base  or,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  of  Crab  of  Robs- 
law,  in  Scotland ;  and  argent,  a  chevron  engrailed  between  three 
crabs  gides,  those  of  the  family  of  Bythesea  of  Ightham,  in  Kent. 

*  Willi-ment's  Heraldic  Notices  of  Canterbury,  18J7. 

t  Engraved  in  the  Scrupe  and  Grosvcnor  Roll,  \li',i'2  ;  a  document  possessing  the 
highest  interest  for  the  descendants  of  old  Engli^Ii  Cunilies. 


232  THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 

Another  family  of  Bythesea,  formerly  of  Axbriclge  in  Somerset- 
shire, now  of  Week  House,  near  Trowbridge,  bears  for  arms, 
argent,  on  a  chevron  engrailed  sable,  between  three  crabs,  the 
claws  towards  the  dexter  gules,  a  Roman  fasces  erect,  surmount- 
ing two  swords  in  saltier,  and  encircled  by  a  chaplet  or.  A  crab 
erect  or,  is  the  crest  of  the  Yorkshire  family  of  Danbv, 

The  turtle,  or  sea-tortoise,  is  found  in  heraldry  in  some  few  in- 
stances. Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  turtles  gules,  are  the 
arms  of  the  family  of  Ribb ;  and  vert,  a  turtle  passant  argent, 
is  the  ensign  of  that  of  Gouldie  of  Scotland. 

The  assumption  of  starfish  in  heraldry  has  been  already  men- 
tioned in  the  attempt  to  assign  the  origin  of  the  mullet,  or  five- 
finger.*  One  of  this  species,  the  sea-urchin, -f-  common  to  the 
shores  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  is  borne  in  arms;  it  va- 
ries in  its  form,  being  sometimes  found  almost  spherical,  and 
sometimes  much  depressed,  which  has  led  zoologists  to  sup- 
pose that  several  species  are  included  under  that  name.  It  is 
usually  of  a  reddish  colour  with  white  spines,  which  arc,  in  some 
instances,  tipped  with  purple.  The  sea-urchin  lives  in  various 
depths  of  water,  and  usually  congregates  in  greatest  numbers  on 
a  clear  sea  bottom. 

Gules,  three  sea-urchins  in  pale  argent,  are  the  arms  of  the 
family  of  Alstowne ;  and  azure,  three  sea-urchins  argent,  those 
of  Alstanton. 


With  this  the  hei-aldry  of  fis.h  is  naturally  concluded  ;  thf 
variety  of  examples  it  affords  is  by  no  means  exhausted,  but 
might  readily  have  been  carried  to  a  much  greater  extent,  and 
should  the  selection  here  made  induce  the  reader  to  pursue  tlio 

•  At  page  107,  ant«\  f  Echinus  sphoera,  the  sea-eijg  of  the  fisherman. 


THE    HERALDRY    OF    FISH. 


2:j;]'  ^S^l 


examination  of  the  ,>^.il)jc'ct  farther,  ho  will  soon  find  an  ahnndant 
field  for  research.  It  is  ahnost  unnecessary  to  reprat,  that  in  the 
earlier  ages  of  heraldry,  ^\•llcre  its  chief  interest  lies,  only  the 
best-knowTi  and  simplest  ohjects  were  employed  as  ensigns  on  the 
banner,  like  the  horse-shoes  of  Ferrers,  or  tlie  heames,  the  had^^c 
of  the  family  of  St.  John;  that  the  zenith  of  heraldic  splendour 
was  at  a  period  unenlightened  by  modern  discoveries  in  natural 
history,  and  as  nations  became  more  civilized  the  importance 
of  heraldry  gradually  lessened,  excepting  as  a  most  intercstin-/ 
illustration  of  the  manners  of  the  times  which  produced  and 
encouraged  it,  and  of  the  state  of  the  arts  in  which  heraldry  was 
constantly  employed.  It  is  pleasing  to  its  admirers  to  reflect, 
that,  howeyer  indifferent  the  presentage  may  affect  to  be  with 
regard  to  the  heraldry  of  early  days,  few  persons  disdain  the 
honourable  distinction  conferred  by  a  grant  of  arms,  one  of  the 
necessary  consequences  of  an  admission  to  gentility.  The  cele- 
brated Linnccus  is  only  one  amongst  many  who  acquired  nobi- 
lity by  literary  find  scientific  pursuits.  The  pcajsant  family  of 
this  universal  naturalist  derived  its  name  fi-om  a  remarkable  lin- 
den tree,  and  it  was  not  till  after  he  had  obtained  eminence  in 
the  path  he  had  himself  chosen  that  he  was  enabled  to  purchase 
an  estate,  and  assume  the  name  of  Von  Linne,  with  a  coat  of 
arms  expressive  of  the  science  he  cultivated ;  at  the  same  time 
receiying  from  his  sovereign  the  order  of  the  polar  star  and  a 
patent  of  nobility.  After  his  death,  in  1778,  this  great  naturali>t 
was  commemorated  by  a  monument  in  the  cathedral  of  Up>al, 
the  ancient  seat  of  the  Swedish  Qovernment. 


.<3^ 


INDEX. 


J*  In  describing  the  Uazonry,  where  the  colour  of  ike  fish  is  not  named,  the  pro}>er  or 
natural  colour  is  intended. 


Abbot  De  la  Mare,  90. 
AbbotsforiL,  note,  143. 
Abergavenny,  Earl  o£,  179. 
Abingdon,  Earl  of,  198. 
Acre,  siege  o£,  •224. 
Adderbury,  monument  at,  15S. 
Adeliza,  Queen,  223. 
Aderter,  an  heraJdic  term,  230. 
Admiral,  office  of,  1 79. 
Admiralty,  emblems  at;  208. 
Aigue  ilortes,  223. 
Ailsa,  ilarquess  of,  29. 
Albemarle,  Earl  of,  227. 
Albertus  de  Alasco,  arms,  179. 
Albini,  WnUam  d',  223. 
Aldborough  sprats,  162. 
Aldie  Castle.  196. 
Aldine  edition  of  British  Poets,  20. 
Aldua'3  mark,  20,  190. 
Alerions,  71. 
Aleschamps,  arms,  230. 
Alexander  III,  Pope,  25; 
AUume,  13. 
Alstanton,  arms,  232. 
Alstowne,  ditto,  232. 
Althorp,  picture  at,  181. 
Alton  Towers,  136. 
Altoting,  shrine  at,  216. 
Alva,  Duke  of,  33. 
Amiens,  Rose  de  Mer,  8. 
Ammonites  in  arms,  197. 
Amphitrite,  9. 
Anchorau'e,  179. 
Anchovj-,  the,  1 62. 
Ancona,  turbot  of,  190. 
•  Andronietla,  fable  of,  207. 
Anello  del  piscatore,  167., 
Angelloch,  arras  144. 
Anglesov,  Marquess  of,  136. 
Anting,  142. 
Anglo-Saxon  banner,  202. 
An;iuillaria,  anus,  196. 
Anjou,  arms  71. 

„     badge,  179. 
Ankholme  eels  194. 
Annular  money,  12.5. 
Anson,  arms  123. 


Anstis,  Garter,  90. 

Anthony  of  Padua,  Saint,  181. 

Antique  monsters  in  sculpture,  206. 

Apollo,  7. 

Archbishopric  of  Glasgow,  1 25. 

Argonauts  218. 

Argyll,  Duke  of,  175. 

Arion,  11,23. 

Armagh  Cathedral,  glass  in,  141. 

Armes  parlantes,  47. 

Armorial  mantle,  41. 

Arms  of  Fishmongers  173. 

„       Merchants  31. 

„       painting,  167- 
Ameel,  arms  and  crest,  195. 
Arragon,  arms,  71. 
Arran,  Earldom  of,  176. 
Arrangement  of  subjects  14. 
Arundel,  Archbishop,  94. 

„       Earl  of,  223. 
Arundell  device,  62. 

„         Jjords,  96. 
Ashbumham,  anns  108. 
Ashby  fiimilv,  61. 
Ashton  HalC  189. 
Askham,  arms  31. 
Asterias,  108. 
Aston,  fishponds  at,  87. 
Aton,  225. 
Atsea,  arms.  231. 
Attwater,  Bishop.  230. 
Atw-ater,  arms  229. 
Auckland,  Lord,  227. 
Audley,  Lords  157. 
Augustus  Emperor,  142. 

medals  of,  209. 
Austria,  house  of,  140. 
Auvergne,  Lords  of,  22. 


B. 

Bailiff  of  Dunwich,  seal,  152. 
Baker,  R.A.  168. 
Balfour,  arms  1-5. 

„       ditto  and  crest,  149. 
Ballykine  Abbey.  46. 
Bandera  de  Saiuiauo,  222. 
Bandnn,  F»irl  of,  227. 
Bangor  bishopric,  arms,  108. 


236 


INDEX. 


Banne  fishen',  1 13. 
Banner  of  B;ir,  (JIJ. 

„      and  caldron,  190'. 
„      of  Daiiphine,  22. 
„      of  the  Dnigon,  202. 
„      ofPfirdt,140. 
„      of  Scales,  220. 
Bannerets,  Roll  of,  137. 
Bar,  Counts  of,  G8. 
Bar  de  Buranlure,  arms,  74. 

„  Joan  of,  seal,  70. 
Biirlieau,  arms,  74. 
Barbel,  the,  68. 
Biirbier,  Le,  142. 
•Barby,  Counts  of,  73.  .,, 

Bardin,  arms,  74,  76. 
Bare,  ditto,  76. 
Barfuse,  ditto,  74. 
Bamardes,  ditto,  76. 
Barons'  Books,  81. 

„      of  Cinque  Ports,  150, 
„      of  Dover,  seal,  178. 
„      letter,  98,  220. 
Baronets'  badge,  1 1 6. 
Barry  in  heraldry,  84. 

„     wavj-,  83. 
Bartet,  arms,  74. 
Bath  Institution,  MSS.  at,  33. 
Rirtholomew,  St.  priorj-  of,  181. 
Bjirwais,  arms,  76, 
Basford,  ditto,  216. 
Battie,  crest,  98. 
Baux,  house  of,  220. 
Bawde,  family,  175.* 
Bay  of  Hakes,  183. 
Rnyeux,  Bishop  o^  39. 
Beaton,  Archbishop,  arms,  125. 
Beaumaris,  seal,  178. 
Beavers,  147. 
Bee  d'oie,  41. 
Beccles,  manor,  150. 
Beck,  arms,  168. 

r,      Sir  Justus,  41. 
Becket,  St.  Thomas  a,  94. 
Rcckford,  crest,  98. 
licdford,  Duke  of,  226. 
„       Earl  of,  153. 
Beller,  Bishop  of,  181. 
Bellerophon,  208. 
Bellismo,  crest,  130. 
Bencoolcn,  212. 
Bengal  fish,  78. 
Benignus,  Saint,  181. 
Beiitivenga,  Cardinal,  146. 
Berbissy,  arms,  213. 
Beringburgh,  arms,  21 1. 
Berkeley  Castle,  seal  at,  210. 
„       Lords  of,  112. 
„       seal,  11. -J, 
PM-mard,  arms,  76. 
Uenibath,  ditto,  81. 


Bemwell,  Thomas,  171. 
Berosus,  21 1. 
Berry,  Lady,  127. 
Billingsgate,  170. 
Bishops  of  Glasgow,  124. 
Bishopsgate-strcet,  house  in,  24. 
Black  mermaid,  a,  2^15. 
Blenerhasset,  anus,  38, 
Bleverhasset,  ditto,  38. 
Blundell,  family,  96.  •       • 

Boats  of  the  Britons,  177. 
Boatswain's  whistle,  180. 
Bocking,  seal  of  Dean  of,  36. 
Bodrugnn,  foraily,  161, 
Btike  of  St.  Albans,  50. 
Bolnhurst,  monuments  at,  25. 
Bolton,  Lord,  117. 

„      rebus  of,  62. 
Boltzig,  arms,  67- 
Bones  of  fish,  110. 
Bonham,  crest,  216. 
Bonvile,  arms,  108. 

„       barony,  158.  ^. 

Book-fish,  the,  182. 
Boscawen,  fiuuily,  96. 
Bosdon,  arms,  144. 
Boston,  Lord,  158. 

„       supporters,  217. 
Botetourt,  arms,  53. 
Boulogne,  Counts  of,  18.  ' 

Boundary  rivers,  84. 
Bourchier,  badge,  86. 
Bourdeillcs,  de,  1 1 1 . 
BojTie,  Viscount,  217.  ' 

Bnibant,  Dukes  of,  arms,  52. 
Brand  of  Spain,  229. 
Brandon,  Charles,  231. 

„       Duke  of,  189, 
Brantome,  111.    ' 
Braybrooke,  Lords,  158. 
Bniye,  Baroness,  157. 
Bream,  the,  89.     . 
Breame,  arms,  89. 
Brescia,  families  of,  28. 
Bretcock,  arms,  190. 
Bretel,  house  of,  195. 
Bridger,  arms,  231. 
Bridport,  \'iscount.  207. 
Brighton,  anns,  30. 
BriU,  the,  190, 
Brinsley,  arms,  82. 
Bristol,"  Bishop  of,  186. 

„      monastery  at,  1 1 2, 
Britannia,  153. 

„         emblem,  180. 
British  fishery,  153. 

„       fishes,  number  of,  2. 

„       Museum,  specimens  of  fish  in, 
Britwesill,  crest,  190. 
Briwere,  Lord,  214. 
Broad  R,  the,  131. 


Arms  bhowii  in  vignette,  p.  233. 


INDEX. 


237 


Broadford,  N.  B.  211. 
Broadhurst,  crest,  '2\6. 
Broase,  family,  "2 1 4. 
Brooke,  device,  63. 

„      of  Great  Oakley,  family,  227. 
Brookbank.  arms,  8(j. 
Brooksbank,  ditto,  80. 
Brooksby,  ditto,  8(). 
Brougham,  ditto,  58. 
Broughton,  crest,  149. 
Browne,  arms,  28. 
Brudenell.  crest,  208. 
Bruere,  Lord,  214. 
Brutus,  medal  of,  16. 
Bryan,  Lord,  51. 
Brj-dges  Duke  of  Chandos,  14!). 
Buckenham  Prior}*,  22:3. 
Buckingham,  Duke  of,  225. 
Buckley,  Samuel,  his  sign,  24. 
Bukens,  arms,  191. 
Bularafeck,  arms,  67. 
Bull  trout,  the,  104. 
Bull-head,  the,  103. 
Buoy  of  a  ship,  179. 
Burbot,  the,  1 85. 
Buren,  arms,  85, 
Bures,  ditto,  76. 

Burgesses  of  Paris,  arms  allowed  to,  31. 
Burgmair,  Hans,  140. 
Burgundy,  cross  of,  222. 
„         g-iiidon,  216. 
Bumaby,  arms,  44. 

Bumell,  ditto,  53.  '     .. 

Butler,  ditto,  82. 
Butlers  of  Senlis,  ditto,  1 . 
Butt-fish,  the,  192. 
Butthom,  the,  108. 
Butts,  arms  and  crest.  193. 
Buzannal,  arms,  196. 
Byland  Abbey.  63. 
Byron,  Admiral,  215. 

„     Lords,  214. 
Bythesea,  arms,  231,  232. 
Byzantine  coin,  17. 

C. 

Cables,  179. 

Cadwallo,  ensign  of,  202. 

Caen,  tiles  at,  1 2. 

Caimcross  Archbishop,  seal  of,  125. 

Caithness,  Earl  of,  175. 

Calder  Abbey,  arms,  54. 

Caldron,  the,  a  S^punish  ensign,  196. 

Caldwell,  anns,  185. 

Caledon,  E;irl  of,  217. 

Calend;ir,  rural,  4. 

Cambridge,  arms  of  (Juoen's  College,  71. 

„  codtisb  at,  182. 

„  supporters  of  the  arms,  208. 

St.  IVtcr's  Coll.-e,  16(1". 
Cameron,  Bi>Iinp.  seal  of,  125. 
Caiuplx-ll,  cn-st,  176. 
tmiily,  175. 

„         families,  219. 


Campbell,  seal,  1 76. 
Canbrook,  arms,  2tlO. 
Cantelupe,  ditto,  5(i. 
Canterburj',  Archbishop  of,  19. 

„  Cathedral,  capital  at,  1 70. 

«  „  crj-pt  at,  170. 

r>  n  pavement  at,  6. 

Caparra,209. 

Capital  ait  Canterbury,  170. 
Capricorn,  209. 
Car  of  Amphitrite.  9. 
Carack,  a  ship,  176. 
Caradoc,  Lord  Howden,  196. 
Cardigan,  Earls  ot;  208. 

„        seal  of,  180. 
Cardinal's  hat,  146. 
Carew,  crest,  179. 
Carhampton,  Earls  of,  1 48. 
Carlaverock,  siege  of,  68. 
Carlisle,  Bishop  of,  66. 

„       Earl  of,  224. 
Carp,  the,  77.  . 
Carrick,  29. 
Carter,  arms,  187. 

„      fish,  the,  187. 
Carving,  old,  42. 
Cassilis,  Eari  of,  29. 
Castile,  grandees  of,  196. 

„      and  Leon,  arms,  1,  7<>. 
Castle  French,  Ireland,  27. 
Castleton,  arms,  202. 
Cater,  ditto,  122. 
Cathcart,  ditto,  30. 
Catton,  R.A.  168. 
Cave,  arms,  157. 
Ceme,  abbot  of,  121. 
Ceylori,  mermaids  at,  2 1 1 . 
Chabot,  arms,  102. 

„       au  ilaine,  ditto,  1 03. 
„       the,  102. 
Chaliield  manor,  95. 
ChamberL-iin  of  Enghnd,  221. 
Champagne,  guidon,  216. 
Chandos,  Duke  of.  149. 
Chaplains  of  the  Fislunongers  172. 
Chapter-house,  Westmijister,  pavement,  59. 
Charlecote,  54. 
Charles  II,  Kin-,  151. 
„      V.  222.'' 
„      iMartel,  71. 
Charters  of  the  Fishmongers,  170,  172. 
Chasuble,  oniiuneiit,  214. 
Chaudiere,  the,  196. 
Cheney,  anus,  186. 
Chenies,  glass  at,  1 5  4. 
Cheiiuers  in  Bucks,  arras  at,  27. 
Chester,  Earls  of,  57. 

„       monuments  in  St.  M;iry*8  Church 
136. 
Chevin,  the,  91. 
Chinia-ra,  tlie,  207. 
Chinese  serpent,  201. 
Cliivalry,  136. 
Chobb,  iiruis,  9 1 . 


238 


INDEX. 


ChoLbe,  arms,  91. 

Chorley,  ditto,  J  30. 

Christ,  symbol  of,  12. 

Christ's  Hospital,  picture  at,  -205. 

Chrysanaleia,  the  golden  fishing,  32. 

Chub,  the,  91. 

Church,  the,  181. 

Churchill,  Lord,  2-27. 

Cinque  Ports,  seals  of,  178. 

Civray,  church  of,  5. 

Clare,  badge  of,  164. 

„      house  of.  53. 
Clarendon,  Earl  of,  226. 
Classification  of  the  dolphin,  16. 
Clavering,  house  of,  22.5. 
Clavijo,  battle  of,  222. 
Clinton,  arms,  107. 
Clovis,  25. 

Cob,  meaning  of,  156, 
Cobb,  arras,  156. 
Cobfish,  156. 
Coc-kermouth,  honor  of,  51.      'i- 

„  Lord,  52. 

Cockle,  the,  226. 
Codfish,  the,  168. 

at  Cambridge,  182. 
Codd,  arms,  168. 
Coin  of  the  Dauphin,  22. 

„      Planus,  16. 

„      Syracuse,  15. 

„      Byzantiimi,  17. 

„      Cuma,  227. 

„      Tarentum,  227. 
Colchester,  corporation,  221. 
Coleraine,  seal,  115. 
CoUand,  crest,  199. 
Collar  of  mfrmaids,  113. 
Collingwood,  Lord,  179. 
Colston,  arms,  75. 
Combat  of  fish,  169. 
Company,  Fishmongers',  171. 
Compass,  discovery  of,  177. 
Coinpostella,  city  of,  222. 
Comyn,  device,  62. 
Cone'y-fi^h,  the,  1  i]5. 
Conger,  the,  199. 
Conghurst,  arms,  200. 
Congleton,  ditto,  200. 

„  towTi  seal,  199. 

Coningsby  family,  136. 
Constantinople,  Emperors  of,  17. 
Conway  Castle,  134. 
Conyers,  Baroness,  29. 
Cootea,  arms,  31. 
Copley,  picture  by,  205. 
Coijuerel,  Nichobs  de,  8. 
Coracle,  the,  180. 
Corbally,  arms,  132. 
Corl)et,  device,  62. 
Comwiill,  Earls  of,  114. 
Coronation  feast  of  fish,  184. 
Coronet  of  the  Dauphin,  23. 
Cottercll  family,  227. 
Cotton,  ;inns,  21. 


Coulson,  arms,  75. 
Coupir,  ditto,  99. 
Courage,  emblem  of,  207. 
Courtenay,  arms,  19. 
family,  18. 
Cowdray,  sculpture  at,  180. 
Cowries,  227. 
Crab,  the,  231. 

„    of  Robslaw,  arms,  23L 
Craford,  family,  231. 
Craike,  arms,  176. 
Craver,  85. 
Crayfish,  85,  229. 
Crests  upon  seals,  93. 
Crown,  the  naval,  179. 
Crows  used  in  na\"igation,  177. 
Croydon  Palace,  154. 
Crusades,  arms  referring  to,  224. 
Culcheth,  arms,  53. 
Cuma,  coins  of,  227. 
Cumberland,  forester  of,  224. 
Curersof  fish,  169. 
Curteis^  arms,  31. 
Custom-house  mark,  131. 
Cuthbert,  arms,  1 95. 
Cuthbertson,  ditto,  195. 
Cyprinus  Rohita,  78. 


Dace,  the,  99. 
Dacre,  badje,  224. 

„     of  GlUsland,  K  G.,  Lord,  224. 
„     Lord,  227. 
Dag,  the  Hebrew  word,  12. 
Dagger  of  Walworth,  171. 
Dame,  arms,  199. 
Danby,  crest,  232. 
D'Anjou,  Rene,  71,  179. 
Darcy  family,  155. 
Dare,  arms,  99. 
Dauphin,  arras  of  the,  23. 

r,       coin  of,  22. 
Dauphine,  banner,  21. 
De  Blocg,  arms,  78. 

„  Burgh,  225. 

„  Croy,  arms,  84. 

„  Cusa,  Cardinal,  229. 

„  Eschales  familv,  220. 

„  Grey,  Earl,  85*. 

„  la  Mare,  arms,  90. 

„  la  River,  ditto,  84. 

„  Li  Roche,  ditto,  93,  95. 

„  Li  Roche,  Lord,  92. 

„  Lara,  arms,  197. 

„  Liile,  Lord,  132. 

„  Montfaucon,  73. 

„  Roche.  96. 

„  Ros,  b.idge  of^  164. 

„  Solfs,  arms,  1 87. 

„  Viviers,  ditto,  87. 
Dean  of  Docking,  36. 
Deandon,  Sir  Hamelyn,  221. 
De.merifs.  36. 
Delphin  Cbssics,  2.3. 


INDEX. 


239 


Denderah,  Temple  of,  4. 

Denmark,  King  of,  174. 

Der  Gabel,  arms,  131. 

Demford,  ditto,  101. 

Device  of  the  Fish  and  the  Ring,  127. 

Davenport,  arms,  180. 

Devonshire,  Earls  of,  18. 

Diamond  ground,  the,  191. 

Dip  of  the  needle,  177- 

Dishington,  crest,  2"25. 

Dog-fish,  the,  203. 

Dogge,  arms,  138. 

Dogger-bank  cod,  168. 

Dog-otter,  149. 

Dolfin,  arms,  27. 

Dolfinton,  ditto,  28. 

Dolphin,  the,  15. 

„      family,  27. 

„       sign  of,  24. 
Dolphinley,  arms,  28. 
JDolphins  painted  by  Raphael,  8. 
Dorade,  the,  1 42. 
Doreo,  device  of,  179. 
Dormer,  Lord,  91. 
Domheim,  arms,  129. 
Dory,  the,  165. 
Douglas,  arms,  108. 
Dover,  seal  of,  178. 
Doxey,  arms,  183. 
Dragon,  the,  200.     . 

„       overthrown,  order,  202. 
Drake,  crest,  178. 
Dravcot,  41. 
Dried  fish,  169. 
Drummond,  arras,  84. 
Du  Bee,  supporters,  216. 
Ducat,  arms,  195. 
Ducie,  Lord,  216. 
Duckworth,  Sir  J.  T.  207. 
Dudley,  Duke  of  Northumberland,  189. 
Dulverton  church,  214. 
Dundalk,  Lord,  86. 
Dungannon.  Lord,  1 16. 
Dunkeswell  Abbey,  214. 
Dunkirk,  arms,  31. 
Dunwich,  152. 
Durham,  Bishop  of,  38. 
Dumeford,  arms,  101. 
Dutch  plaice,  191. 
Dykes,  anns,  230. 
Dj-ve,  ditto,  94. 

E. 

EalfS,  arms  and  crest,  195. 
Earl,  the  Green,  22. 
Early  instances  of  arms,  36, 
Eaat"  Hiim,  89. 
Easton,  arras,  200. 
Eastry,  Prior,  6. 
Ebnet,  arms,  131. 
Eckford,  ditto,  208. 
Ecrevisse.  armour  called,  229. 
Edgehill,  biiltle  of,  215. 
Edridge,  crest,  107. 


Edward  I,  Kin?,  225. 

„       n.  Roll  of  Arms,  54. 
EeL,the,  194. 
„    pot,  a  badge,  198. 
„    spears,  34,  1  99. 
Egerton  faraily,  1 32. 
Eglintoun  Castle,  tournament  at,  29. 
Egremont,  barony  of,  51. 
Egypt,  fisheries  of,  113. 
Ele'ttorali  of  Venice,  27. 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  177. 
Elleis,  crest,  195. 
Ellice,  ditto,  195. 
Ellis,  arms,  194. 

„     of  Preston,  216. 
Elmore,  arms,  1 94. 
Elwes,  crest,  195. 
Emblem  of  fish,  33. 
Endellion,  port  of,  160. 
Enderby,  crest,  46. 
Enghanes,  crest,  195. 
Enmore,  wells  at,  8G. 
Entravaille,  76. 
Erstenbertrer,  arms,  217. 
Escallop,  the,  220. 
Essex,  Bourchier,  Earls  of,  86. 

„      Earl  of;  136. 
Etruscan  sarcophagi,  8.    ■ 
Eu,  Earls  of,  86. 
Eiire,  Lords,  225. 

„    of  Axholme,  225. 
Ewer,  crest,  199. 
Exeter,  Bishop  of,  19,  36,  214. 

„      Cathedral,  214. 

„  „         paving- tUe  at,  12. 

Eye,  honor  of,  221. 
Eytzing,  crest,  167. 


Fairs  noted  for  fish,  169. 
Falcons,  92. 
Falmouth,  160. 

Earl  of,  96. 
Fast  days,  169. 
Fauconberg,  K.G.,  Lord,  144. 
Februarv,  4. 
FeUskirk  church,  188. 
Fellowes,  anns,  76. 
Fender,  ditto,  149. 
Fennden,  ditto,  213. 
Fennor,  ditto,  149. 
Fermoy,  Lords  of,  95. 
Ferrard,  Viscount,  215. 
Ferrers,  amis,  158,  233. 

„      of  Chartley,  94. 
Feudal  claims,  HI. 

„      system  in  Germany,  120. 
Fevershiun.  seal  of,  178. 
Ffrench,  crest,  27. 
Fielding  family,  41. 
Fierte,  46. 
Figeau,  213. 
Fish  and  Ring,  device  of,  1 26. 


240 


INDEX. 


Fish,  amis,  34. 
„    combat,  I  (59. 
„    feast,  1-23,  UU. 
„    hooks,  U4. 
„    merchants,  170. 
„    numljer  of,  in  British  Museum,  2. 
„    ditto,  at  Paris,  2. 
„    of  Mogul,  80. 
„    oiTering,  124. 
„    ponds,  87. 
Fishacre,  arms,  65. 
Fisher,  arms,  34,  88,  192. 
„      of  Scotland,  crest,  1 G2. 
„      of  Stafford,  amis,  99. 
Fisheries  of  Efr\pt,  1 1 3. 
Fisherton,  De  l;i  Mere,  90. 
Fishery  of  the  Nile,  4. 
Fishguard,  198. 
Fishing,  142. 

„      nets,  157. 
„       Royal  Company,  152. 
„       spear,  130. 
„       stations,  143. 
„       vessels,  175. 
Fishmongers'  Company,  31 . 

171—174. 
„  „  arms,  173. 

Fishweel,  198. 

Fitz  Gerald,  Lady  Isabella,  103. 
„   James,  arms,  40. 
„   Piers,  225. 
„   Walter,  anas,  53,  54. 
„    William  family,  64. 
Five-finger,  the,  108. 
Flat-fish,  191. 
Flavio  di  Melfi,  177. 
Fleet,  anus,  35. 
Fleets  hired,  177. 
Fleming,  arms,  54,  157. 
Fleur-de-lis,  49. 
Fleury,  anus,  1 95. 
Flok,  the  Norwegian,  177. 
Florence,  academy  of,  97. 
Flounder,  the,  1 92. 
Fludd,  arms,  21. 
Fludver  family,  227. 
Fluke,  the,  192. 
Flyiug-tish,  the,  GG, 
Fochia,  210. 
Folebome,  arms,  1 98. 
Fontenay  de  Luc,  arms,  59. 
Form  of  fish,  35. 
Fortescue  family,  9G. 
Fouet,  arms,  157. 
Fount;iin  in  henildrj-,  80". 
Fowey,  se;d  of,  1  (>  1 . 
France,  arms,  24. 
Franck's  Northern  Memoirs  '92. 
Francis  L  sliieid  of,  231. 
Frimii,  arnis,  )!()'. 
Fniiikhmd,  ditto,  2b'. 
Fnuikliii,  ditto,  25,  26. 
„         Uonjamin,  26. 
Frwut',  amis,  37. 


French,  amis,  27. 

Frense  churth,  monument  in,  38. 

Freshacre,  amis,  131!. 

Freshwater,  ditto,  138. 

Fretty,  157. 

Friends'  books,  184. 

Frowick  family,  204. 

Fry  of.fishcs,  37. 

Frj-er,  arms,  37. 

FuUarton,  anns,  149. 

Funeral  pall,  172. 

FjTie,  Loch,  herrings,  152. 

Fyshar,  arms,  34. 

a 

Gabel,  Von  Der,  arms,  131. 
Gage  family,  155. 
Gainsborough,  Earl  of,  158. 
Galley,  the  Highland,  175. 
Gal  way  Bay,  183. 

.  „       seal  of,  183. 
Gardiner,  arms,  47- 
Garfish,  the,  65. 
Garling,  crest,  65. 
Garmston,  arms,  67. 
„         crest,  205. 
Gamvss,  ditto,  216.       ■ 
Garrick,  David,  208. 
Garvie  fish,  the,  162. 
Garvine,  arms,  1 62, 
Gascoigne,  ditto,  63,  64. 
Gawthorp,  63. 
Ged,  arms,  59. 

„    the,  59. 
Geddes,  amis,  60. 
Gedney,  ditto,  61. 
Genoa,  cross  of,  21. 
Genoese  nobility,  190. 

George,  Saint,  201. 

Gerard,  Lord,  189. 

Gergekise,  amis,  229. 

German  signs,  164. 

Gesse,  arms,  205. 

Gibbens,  crest,  144. 

Gillet,  amis,  65. 

Gilse,  ditto,  85. 

Gilthe;ul,  the,  142. 

Giotto,  mosaic  by,  167. 

Glasgow,  arms,  l24. 

Gbstonbury  Abbey,  seal  of,  181. 

GLiucus,  218. 

Gloucester,  amis,  112. 

Bishop  of,  186. 

Glover's  Catalo^'ue  of  Nobility,  81. 

Glynn,  amis,  13(1. 

Gubaud,  ditto,  83. 

Gobion,  ditto,  82. 

(iobvon,  ditto,  81. 

CiodiVcy  of  Bouillon,  18. 

CiiKlolpliin,  anus,  28,  29. 

(ioldon  carp,  it 

(ioldiii.uhani,  badge,  221. 

Goodman's  Fields  estate,  33. 


INDEX. 


241 


Goodrich  Court,  armour,  108,  231. 

Gorges,  amis,  8(>. 

Gornay,  ditto,  103. 

Gomey,  ditto,  103. 

Gougeux,  ditto,  83. 

Goujon,  ditto,  83. 

Goiilas,  ditto,  196. 

Gouldie,  ditto,  •232. 

Gradel,  ditto,  111. 

Gradner,  ditto,  110. 

Graham  family,  227. 

Granada,  arms,  1. 

Grandford,  crest,  107. 

Granell,  ditto,  199. 

Graville,  arms,  74. 

Graydon,  arms,  147. 

Grayley,  ditto,  147. 

Grayling,  the,  140". 

Grazzini,  97. 

Great  Harry,  the,  177. 

„    St.  Helen's,  house  in,  190. 
Greek  boats,  176. 

r.      empire,  1 7,  20. 
Grelley,  crest,  147.  • 
Grey,  arms,  84. 
„     de  Ruthin,  Lords,  94. 
„     device,  63. 
„     of  Groby,  Lords,  158. 
Greystoke,  badge,  224. 
Gritlin,  the,  209. 
Grilh^  arms,  229. 
Grj-Us  family,  105. 
Gudgeon,  the,  81. 
Guildford,  Dudley,  Lord,  189. 
Guilds,  cit}-,  1 72. 
Gurnard,  the,  l(l3. 
Gumey  family,  104. 
Guzman,  C;irdinal,  197. 
G Wynne,  Richard,  portrait  of,  41. 

H. 

Habgood,  arms,  180. 
Hacaed,  fish  so  allied,  61. 
Hacket,  anus,  1 83. 
Haddock,  crest  of,  165. 

„  the,  165. 
Hagges,  arms,  104. 
Hake,  ditto,  184. 

„      the,  172,  182. 
Hakehed,  arras,  183. 
Hakes,  Bay  of,  183. 
Halcyon  days,  lOO. 
Halls  of  the  Fishmongers  172. 
Hamilton,  Duke  of,  176,  189. 

„        of  Ha.'gs,  iirms,  127. 
Hanime,  arms,  138. 
Hiuiiptou  Lucy,  churcii,  56. 
Hanbowe,  crest,  107. 
Hanfstengol,  amis  129. 
Hardy  feuiiily,  227. 
Hareiic,  anus,  155. 
Harhiud,  ]'..ut.  Sir  Rubcit,  2ttii. 
Humes,  ;unis,  155. 


Harrington,  Lords,  158. 
Harry,  arms  149. 
Hartopp  family,  148. 
Hastings,  crest,  216. 

n        Marchioness  of,  94. 
„        Marquess  of,  132. 
r.        seal  of,  1 78. 
Hatfield,  Bishop,  3y. 
Hauriant,  13. 

Haverfordwest,  seal  of,  178. 
Hawke,  Lord,  10. 
Hawking  fish,  106. 
Head  tamijy,  40, 
Heard,  Sir  Isaac,  218. 
Heigham,  arms,  155. 
Helmet,  a  distinction,  31. 
Helmsdale,  114. 
Helston,  134. 

„       seal  of,  159. 
Hengrave,  History  of.  155. 
Henri  Grace  de  Dieu,  the,  177. 
Henry  III,  Roll  of  Anus,  50. 
„     Vil,  King,  202. 
„     VIII,  Roll  of  Anas,  34,  230. 
Herald  painters,  168. 
Heraldic  dolphin,  15. 
r>        signs,  164. 
Herbert,  Bishop,  201. 

„        Lord,  215. 
Herbst,  John,  11. 
Hereford,  Bishop  of,  19. 
Heringby  CoUeire,  151. 
Heringflete  Prion.-,  151. 
Heringh,  arms,  153. 
Heringham,  ditto,  15.3. 
Heringod,  ditto.  153. 
Heringot,  seal,  153. 
Heriz,  de\-ice,  62. 
Heron,  the,  98.  155. 
Herring,  Archbishop,  arms,  154. 
n       cob,  156. 
„       the,  150. 
Herringbone  work,  110. 
Hertford,  E;irl  of,  134. 
Ileyte.-bun,-,  Lord,  190. 
HighLind  fishing-boat,  175. 
Hindu  s_\-mKd,  80. 
Hinghain  deiiiien,-,  3';. 
Hippocaiupus  brcvirostris,  209. 
Hobbs,  arms  98. 
Hoddy,  crest,  l4l. 
Holleys  amis  31. 
Holme,  R;uidal,  187. 
Homaije,  111. 

Home  of  Niuewells  arms,  85. 
Homfray,  cr«-.t,  1 48. 
Honours  of  Fi>limiii)i,vrs  32. 
Hood,  VLm-'oudl,  217. 
Hooks  144. 
Hope,  allegorical  fi::un;3  of,  180. 

„     fiuuily,  180. 
HoiKtoun,  i^iiri  of,  180. 
Honis  of  teiiuri-,  134. 
Horse,  til.-,  207. 


!42 


INDEX. 


Horsey  Mere,  60. 
Hotoft,  amis,  200. 
Hounds,  sharks  named  firwni,  205. 
Howard  family,  159. 
Howden.Lord,  196. 
Howe,  Earl.  203. 
Howth,  Rirlof,  217. 
Hudson  familv,  227. 
Hulls  of  ships',  179. 
Humides,  the,  97. 
H  under,  arms,  81. 
Hungary,  ditto,  8-4. 
Hungerford,  horn,  134. 
Lord,  19. 
Huntingdon,  Earl  of,  1 07. 
Huntsman  of  the  Empire,  1 39. 
Hutchinson,  arms,  21. 
Huvshe,  ditto,  97. 
Hythe,  seal  of,  178. 

I. 

Iceland,  arms,  174. 

Ictis,  the  Greek  word,  12. 

Iffley  church,  5,  209. 

Ibner,  manor,  92. 

Inch  Garrie,  162. 

Inconstancy,  emblem  of,  231. 

Inskipp,  21. 

Invention  of  the  compass,  177. 

Invenuy-,  arms,  152. 

lona,  sculpture  at,  175. 

Ipswich.  s(;al  of,  178. 

Irby,  arms,  158. 

Iremon^rer  familv,  37. 

Isabel,  Queen,  2'l8, 

Iscan,  arms,  36. 

Isle  of  Ely,  eels  in,  194. 

Iver,  in  Bucks,  225. 


James,  arms,  38 — tO. 

„      Saint,  221. 
Jane,  crest,  141. 
Jamac,  Count  de,  103. 
Jeane,  crest,  141. 
Jenkinson,  ditto,  208 
Jersey,  Earl  of,  226. 
Joan  of  Acres,  97. 

Bar,  seal  of,  70. 
Ji'hn,  arms,  228. 

„     Kin-,  150,  218. 
Johnson,  crest,  216. 
Juan  Fernandez,  211. 
Jugerde,  arms,  199.* 


Karpfon,  arms,  77. 

KatLurine,  Queen  of  Henry  V,  184. 

Keano,  Lord,  116. 

Koidon,  38. 

Keniys.  arms,  132. 

KendiUl,  ditto,  132. 


Kenilworth,  visit  to,  23. 
Kenn,  arms,  21. 
Kennedy  family.  29. 
Kent,  Dukes  of,  85. 

„     Earl  of,  144. 
Kentigem,  Saint,  124. 
Kettle  nets,  132. 

„     offish,  132. 
Keys  of  St.  Peter,  166. 
Kiddle,  or  weir,  132. 
Kidley,  arms,  189. 
Kidson,  ditto,  132. 
Kilrenny,  motto,  144. 
Kinderton,  Barons  of,  198. 
King  John,  play  of,  22. 

„    of  the  Moors.  32. 
Kings,  Roll  of,  137. 
Kingsdown  church,  57. 
Kingfisher,  the,  99. 
Kingsmill,  55. 
Kingston,  seal  of,  113. 
Kinloch,  supporters,  149. 
Kirk  Salmon,  120. 
Kirkland,  arms,  53. 
Knight  of  Gloucester,  arms,  122. 

„      of  the  Dolphin,  29. 
Knights,  RoU  of,  137. 
Knots,  73. 
Koran,  the,  127. 
Kreckwitz,  arms,  81. 
Kydale,  ditto,  132. 
Kytson,  ditto,  155. 

L. 

La  Lasca,  97. 
„  Mancha,  214. 
„  March,  Count  of,  218 
„  Tour,  house  of,  22. 
Lady  Chapel,  St.  Saviour's,  58. 
Lake,  arms,  80. 

„     Lord,  79. 

„      Superior,  2 LI. 
Lamprell,  arms,  202. 
Lamprey,  the,  202. 
Lamproun,  the,  203. 
Lanark,  arms,  114. 
Lanercost  Prion.-,  224. 
Lanesborough,  Earl  of,  82. 
Langton  Ilering,  154. 
Language  of  heraldry,  2. 
Lany,  crest,  219. 
Lapp,  arms  216 
Latimer  family,  158. 

„        Lord,  51, 
Lauterbach,  arms,  85. 
Lauzon,  ditto,  196. 
Lauzun,  crest,  216. 
LawTence  family,  189. 
Le  Fleming,  arms,  157. 
Leeds,  Duke  of.  29. 
Legend  of  St.  James,  "223. 
„  the  ring,  125. 


Shown  in  vignette,  p.  233. 


INDEX. 


243 


Leicester,  Earls  of,  132. 
Leigh,  monument  at;  121. 
Leinster,  Duke  of,  103. 
Leister,  or  spear,  129, 
Lemaitre,  arms,  88. 
Leman,  ditto,  32,  33. 
Lent,  institution  of,  169. 
Leon,  arms  of,  70. 

„     King  of,  222. 
Lesnes  Priory,  49. 
Leversege,  arms,  37. 
Levesque,  crest,  107. 
Ley,  Lord,  210. 
Libro,  d'Oro,  27. 
Lichfield,  Earl  of.  123. 
Lilling,  arms,  64. 
Limburg,  Dukes  of,  121. 
Lincoln,  Bishop  of,  229. 
Ling,  the,  185. 
Limiceus,  233. 
Lion  of  St.  Mark,  21. 
Lis,  Tempire  des,  25. 
Little  Britain,  sign  in,  24. 
Liverpool,  Earls  of,  208. 
Loach,  the,  100. 
Lobster,  the,  228. 
Loch,  crest,  98. 
Loggie  of  Raphael,  8. 
Loudon,  Bishop  of,  19.  41. 

„       city  of,  supporters,  202. 
„       cries,  164. 
„       Lord  Mavors  of,  31. 
„       old  city  o'f.  190. 
„       pageants,  32,  35. 
•  Longford  Castle,  86. 

Lonsdale.  Earl  of,  54. 

Loo  Pool.  134. 

Looe,  seal  of.  161. 
„     token,  161. 

Lord  Admiral,  144. 

„    High  Admiral,  180. 
■    „        „     Treasurer  to  Queen  Anne,  28. 
„     flavors,  fishmongers,  1  73. 

Lords  Marchers,  225. 
„     of  the  Isles,  115. 

Lordships,  maritime,  179. 

Lorn,  ancient  lords  of,  175. 
„     Marquess  of,  175. 

Lorraine,  arms,  71. 

Lostwithiel,  seal  of,  114. 

Lotus  of  India,  80. 

Lotvsham,  arras,  148. 

Louis  XI.  223. 
„     Saint,  223. 

Loutre,  the,  148. 

Louv:iine,  Jo*celinc  of,  52. 

Lovelace,  Eirl  of,  158. 

Lovken,  John,  Lord  Mayor,  32. 

Lowdham,  .^H. 

Lovvest,.ft.  152. 

Lowther  f;uni!y.  54. 

Luc  en  Vivarets  anns  •'>9. 

Luce,  tlie,  49. 

Lucy,  amis,  50,  53,  55. 


Lucy  family.  r>f^.. 

„     rebus  of,  57. 
Ludlow  Castle,  225. 
Lusignan,  house  of,  217. 
Luttrell,  arms,  148. 

„        psalter.  137. 
Lyme,  seal  of,  178. 
Lyinington,  seal  of,  178. 
Lymphad,  the,  175. 
Lyndhurst,  Lord.  227. 
Lynedoch,  Lord,  227. 
Lynn,  arms,  201. 

„      town  seal,  201. 
Lyttelton,  Lord,  219. 

M. 

Mac  Dongal,  arms,  175. 
Macbride,  ditto,  163. 
Macdonald,  Lord.  115. 
Mackerel,  sign,  163; 
the,  163. 
Mackerel!,  arms,  163. 
Mackrill,  ditto,  163. 
Maclean,  Sir  Fitz  Roy,  J.  G.  211. 
Macles,  77. 

Madrid,  royal  armoiuy,  222. 
MafFei  Collection,  142. 
Magnus,  Saint,  170. 
Mahi  Maratib,  78. 
Maidstone,  college  at,  19. 
Mai  Ordonnees.  74. 
M;ilet  Barony,  221. 
Malpas,  arms,  131. 
Maltravers,  Lords,  158. 
Malvish,  arms,  205. 
Mantle,  heraldic,  71. 
Marbur^',  crest.  215. 
Marchers  of  Wales,  225. 
Marchin,  arms,  74. 
Margaret  d'Anjou,  71. 

;,,        Saint,  201. 
Marignv,  ^I:irquis  de,  75. 
ilarigolds,  88. 
Mariner's  comj^iass,  177. 
Maritime  manors  179. 
M;irius,  coin  of.  16. 
Marlborough,  Duke  of,  226. 
Earl  of,  210. 
Marquete,  or  speckled,  138. 
Marshal  of  the  Falcons,  92. 
^larsh.-illing  arms,  52. 
Marston  ^Ioo^,  battle  of.  215. 
Martel,  Charles,  71,  121. 
Mary  QueSn  of  Scots,  22. 
Mascles,  1 58. 
Mason,  crest,  216. 
Massciniello,  142. 
Massareeiie,  Viscount,  215. 
Muster  Fishers  of  the  Empire,  I4l. 
Masts  of  ships,  179. 
Maximil'ian,  triumph  of,  140. 
Medal  of  Brutus,  16. 

,,         Vc>p;u>i;ui,  1 7. 


244 


INDEX. 


Medal  of  Vitt-lliu^  7. 
Aledals  of  Tvr<",  "Jl'?. 
MeJville,  anus,  l-i4. 
Meer,  crest,  ^O.i. 
Melem,  anus  --!}• 
JlfUusine,  I«i,  -17. 
Mencstrier,  47. 
Menzaleh,  Lake,  1  i2. 
Mercer,  crest,  1^5. 
Merchants,  amis  of,  31. 
Merlj-ng,  the,  184. 
Mermaid,  113,  211. 

„        manufactured,  3i 
„        sign,  -218. 
Menuan,  the,  "218. 
Morton  College,  porch,  5. 

„  gatehouse,  4 1 . 

Mestich,  arms,  "209. 
Metje,  ditto,  27. 
Michael,  Saint,  201,  223. 
Michielli  of  Venice,  27. 
Milan,  device,  21. 
Milesian  kings,  202. 
Militon,  arms,  1 59. 
„       fimiily,  29. 
Miller's  thumb,  the,  102. 
Millington,  arms,  1(50. 
Minnow,  the,  7,  99,  129. 
Miracle  of  the  Lis,  25. 
Mimiillones,  the,  157. 
McErisbke,  113. 

Mogul  emperor,  79. 

„      insignii,  80. 

Mohun  family,  214. 

Molton,  crest,  205. 

Monsters,  antique,  206. 

Montagu's  Guide  to  Heraldr}-,  G2, 

Montausier,  Duke  of,  23. 

Montlx'ilkird,  Counts  of,  138,  139. 

Montljeliard,  arms,  73. 

Montfaucon,  ditto,  73.  " 

Montrose,  Duke  of,  22G. 
„        motto  of,  179. 

Monypenny,  arms,  10,  30. 

Moore,  crest,  216. 

Aforshead  family,  227. 

Mortimer,  arms,  53. 

ZMoselle,  Duke  of  the,  121. 

Mofcombe,  custom  at,  80". 

Mottisfont  Abbey..  214. 

Motto  of  the  Dauphin,  23. 

Mottos  of  adiniruls,  179. 
„  seaports,  178. 
„        upon  se;d*,  93.  • 

Moult,  crest,  107. 

Mount  St.  John,  188. 

Mount's  Bay,  159. 

Mowbrav,  device,  (>3. 

Mullet  hawk,  10(J. 

„     ofheraldr%-,  107. 
„       the,  10(;." 

.Mulltin,  amijv,  53. 

Mull.m  fau.ily,  51. 

.Mukiius  of  Cuckeniiouih,  224. 


MumTny  cases,  painted,  ."5. 
Mumpelgard,  Counts  of,  138. 
Munday's  Chrysanaleia,  32; 
Murnena,  the,  203. 
Murder  of  Archbishop  Becket,  94. 
Mute  as  a  fish,  143. 

N. 
Naiant,  13. 
Names  of  ships,  181. 
Naples,  amis,  71. 

„      supporters,  216. 
Narburgh  church,  204. 
Nautilus,  the,  17o. 
Naval  cro\vn,  179. 

„     dominion,  emblem  of,  208. 
„     mark,  131. 
Nave  of  a  church,  181. 
Naviculo  di  Giotto,  167. 
Navigation,  primitive,  176. 
Negroli,  shield  by,  231. 
Nelson,  Lord,  17'9. 
Neot,  Saint,  105. 
Neptune,  10. 
Neptune's  trident,  130. 
Nereids,  the,  213. 
Nero,  emperor,  158. 
Nets,  157. 

Netterville,  Viscount,  159. 
Nevile,  Archbishop,  210, 
„      crest,  164. 

„      Lord  Faucoiiberg,  K.G.  144. 
Neville,  cognizance,  179. 
New  Hall,  Essex,  52. 
„     Hampshire,  arms,  180. 
„     Inn,  arms  at,  147. 
Newblanch,  Count  of,  102. 
Newcastle,  town  of,  208. 
„         tradition,  127. 
„         under-Lp\e,  seal  133. 
Newfoundland  fish,  169. 
Newington  hospit;il,  174. 
Newman,  crest,  216. 
Newnham  Paddox,  glass  at,  41. 
Newport,  Isle  of  Wight,  seal,  178. 
Newstead  Prior}-,  215. 
Newtowi,  Isle  of  Wicht,  seal,  178. 
Nibanaki,  the,  211. 
Nicholas  V,  Pope,  166. 
NichoUs,  arms,  132. 
Niemptsther,  ditto,  209. 
Nighting-.de,  Gascoignc,  64. 
Nile,  fishcrj-,  4. 
Nobility  of  Cienoa,  190. 
„  Spain,  229. 

,1,  Venice,  27. 

NooU  arms,  15!!,  215. 
Norfolk,  Duke  of,  159. 
Norrovs,  supporters,  149. 
Norris,  Lord,  198. 
North  Miins,  nionununts  at,  123. 
Northunilierliind,  l-I;irl  of,  51. 
Norwich,  l?i^ho|.  of,  121. 
Notre  Dame,  I'aris.  5. 


INDEX. 


245 


Notre  Dame,  glass  at,  213. 
Nottingham  Castle,  215. 


Oannes,  211. 

Oar,  silver,  a  badge,  44. 

Oars,  in  arms,  43,  179. 

Obreen,  arms,  90. 

Oceanus,  9. 

OckwelL,  glass  at,  71,-149. 

OkeLimpton,  Lord  of,  1 8. 

Oldiield,  arms,  1 09. 

Oliver,  ditto,  141. 

Ombre,  the,  1 47. 

O'Neill,  Earl,  116. 

„       feunily,  115. 
Onoltzbach,  arms,  85. 
Onslow,  motto,  17. 
Oporinus's  mark,  11. 
Orcival,  arms,  138.' 
Ord,  ditto,  117. 

„    manors,  116. 
Orde,  arms,  117. 
Origin  of  heraldry,  8. 
Orkney,  Earls  of,  175. 
Orton,  arms,  38. 
Osborne,  ditto,  1 38. 
„       family,  29. 
Osprey,  the,  10b\ 
Ostoft,  arms,  64. 
Ostreche,  ditto,  138. 
Oswald,  King,  40. 
Otranto,  arms,  31. 
Otter  hunting,  148. 

„     the,  147. 
Otterboume,  arms,  149. 
Oude,  King  of,  79. 
Oxford,  Earls  of,  84. 
Oyrj',  arms,  64. 
Oyster  dredge,  a  badge,  22 1 . 

„     of  the  East  Indies,  22 1 . 

P. 

Pacheco,  arms,  197. 

Pacific  Ocean.  2. 

Pageants,  32,  35,  1 70. 

Palatine,  Count,  39. 

Pall,  funeral,  172. 

Palmer,  arms,  225, 

Palmers'  scrips,  224. 

Pame,  13, 

Panel,  carved,  42. 

Panonceaux,  55. 

Paris  fish  in  the  museum  at,  2, 

Parliament,  Roll  of  Henry  Vlll.  34,  230. 

P;iftri<lge  of  the  sea,  tlie,  187. 

Passelaiguo,  anus  181.. 

Patronage,  ditto  of,  57. 

Pavement  at  Canterbury,  G. 

„  Westminster,  59. 

Pavilion  St.  Jiunes,  143. 
Peacock  of  the  se;u  45. 
Pearl  oyster,  the,  221 . 


Pearls  in  heraldry,  221. 

Peebles,  arms,  114, 

Pelham  family,  1!>3. 

Pembroke,  Earls  of,  note,  70. 

Pengersick  Castle,  Cornwall,  29,  159. 

Penkerth,  arms,  144. 

Penkivil  family,  96. 

Penrhyn  Castle,  6. 

Penrose,  arms,  135. 

Perch,  the,  109. 

Percy,  arms,  52. 

„     badge,  164. 

„     house  of,  51,  214. 
Percy's  Cross,  224. 
Pescara,  Marchese  di,  89. 
Peter-boat,  the,  166. 

„     Saint,  166. 
Peterborough,  bishopric  of,  1 66. 
Peterchurch,  Herefordshire,  13t. 
Petershausen  Abl»ey,  1  (iti. 
Pctre,  Lord,  227. 
Pevensey,  seal  of,  178. 
Pewtcrers'  Company,  208. 
Pfirdt,  arms,  140. 
Pfreimbt,  ditto,  7. 
Pheon,  the,  131. 
Philip  II,  Kinir,  208. 

„     of  V^alois,  22. 
Philipot's  Origin  of  Heraldry,  8. 
Phocae,  210. 
Picardy,  rebus  of,  49. 
Picke,  arms,  61, 
Pickering,  ditto,  62. 

„         "WillLam,  his  mark,  21,  62, 
Picton,  arms,  99. 
Pictures  offish,  173,  181. 
Pike,  arms,  61. 

„     the,  49. 
Piketon,  arms,  62. 
Pilchard,  the,  159. 
Pilgrani,  arms,  225. 
Pilgrim,  crest,  225. 
Pilgrim's  staves,  225. 
Pink,  the,  99. 
Pinna  Marina,  221. 
Pisces,  the  zodiacal  sign,  4. 
Plaice,  the,  199. 
PLinUigenct  device,  62,  134. 
Plaster- work,  190. 
Platen,  anns,  231. 
Pliny's  Natural  History,  2. 
Pogorskcr,  arms  209. 
Pointz  Barony,  41. 
Poisson,  anns,  75. 
Poissonnier,  ditto,  213. 
Pollen  fimiily,  227. 
Polycrates  126. 
Pompeii,  lol)ster  at,  221!, 
„        picture  at,  142. 
Poole,  arms,  31. 
Pope,  Nicholas  V,  1(16. 

„     or  UutTe,the,  109. 
Portsmouth,  Earl  of,  7">,  215. 
„  se.al  of,  178. 


246 


INDEX. 


Postmaster  General,  tinie  of  Queen  Anne, 

26. 
Power  of  the  keys.  166. 
Powlett,  arms,  117. 
Povnings,  Lord,  51. 
Praromon.  anns.  111. 
PrawTis,  231. 
Preaching  to  fish,  181. 
Prestwkh,  arms,  216. 
Primeval  boat,  176. 
Principato,  arms  of,  177. 
Pringle,  Sir  John,  22,"). 
Printers,  allowed  arms,  19(J. 
Privy  seal  of  St. Bartholomew,  181. 
Procession  Roll,  32,  34,  35. 
Propontis,  fish  of,  17. 
Proteus,  9. 
Proude,  arms,  148. 
Proverbs,  painted,  29. 
Proyvon  Findelstein,  arms,  128. 
Prudence,  emblem  of,  203. 
Prudhomme,  the,  148. 
Purple  dye,  227. 
Purpura  Buccinum,  227. 
Pursuivant  Rouge  Dragon,  202. 

Scales,  220". 
Pwll  Priorj-,  93. 
Pyke,  arms,  61. 

Q. 

Quarracino,  arms  of,  162. 
Quartering,  arms,  52. 
Queen's  College,  Cambridge,  71. 
QuenbyHall,  61. 
Quincy,  arms,  158. 

R. 

Radford,  arms,  202. 
Radley,  ditto,  194. 
R-iinwell,  ditto,  31. 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  218,  226. 
Ramira,  King  of  Leon,  222. 
Ramsey  Abbey,  61. 
„        mere,  60. 
.   Raoul,  arms,  106. 
Raphael,  arras  of,  167. 
Raphael's  dolphins,  8. 
Rapid  motion  of  fish,  35. 
Ratcliff,  arms,  53. 
Ravenna,  pulpits  at,  12. 
Rawdon  f;imily,  132. 
Rebui.  of  Lucv,  57. 

Picardy,  49. 
Red  hand  of  Ireland,  IIG. 
Regal  mark,  131. 
Remora,  the,  203. 
Rene  d'-\njou,  arms,  71. 

•  „  badge,  179. 

Renfrew,  motto  of,  179. 
Rennington,  arms,  31. 
Restormel  Ca>tlo,  1 1  3. 
Retiarii,  the,  157. 
Rhine,  fishery,  119. 
Rhingrave,  120. 
Ribb,  am'.s,  232. 
Richard  II,  Roll  of  Arms,  51. 


Richemont,  Baron  of.  111. 
Richmond  family,  58. 
Rietter,  arms,  2"l3. 
Ring,  device  of  the  fish  and  the,  126. 
„     money,  128. 
„     the  fisherman's,  167. 
Rivers,  arms,  84. 
„       Earl,  220. 
„      Lord,  98. 
Riviere,  arms,  76. 
Roach  of  Lezant,  ditto,  96. 

„     the,  92. 
Robert  of  Dunwich,  seal,  152. 
Roberts,  R.A.  52. 
Robinson,  Bishop,  arms,  66. 
Roche,  Baronets,  95. 
„      Castle,  93. 
„      in  Cornwall,  96. 
„      Lords  of  Fenuoy,  95. 
„      of  Bromham,  95. 
„      Saint,  92. 
„      seal  of  Lord  de  la,  92. 
„      Sir  William,  arms,  96. 
RocheUe,  199. 

Rochester,  Bishop  of;  34,  161, 
Rohan,  arms,  77. 
Roll  of  Arms,  Edward  II,  54. 
„  Henry  III,  50. 

„  Richard  II,  51. 

Roll  of  Parliament,  Henry  VIII,  34,  230. 
Roman  tessera,  1 22. 
Romieu,  arms,  225. 
Romney,  seal  of,  178. 
Rose  de  Mer,  Amiens,  8. 
Rosengriin,  arms,  129. 
Roscarrock,  ditto,  ICO. 
Roten,  ditto,  143. 
Rouge  Dragon,  202. 
Roujou,  arms,  106. 
Rouville,  ditto,  83. 
Rouxel,  ditto,  103. 
Royal  Company  of  Fishing,  152. 

„      Navy,  177. 
Rudders  in  arms,  179. 
Ruffe,  the,  109. 
Ruiz,  poem  by,  169. 
Russell,  arms,  21. 
„       crest,  164. 
„      family,  27,  86. 
„      Sir  Robert  Franklaiid,  27. 
Russeyl,  arms,  4 1 . 
Rutherford,  crest,  216. 
Rye,  seal  of,  178. 

s. 

Sadberg,  Earl  of,  39. 

Siigittarius,  7. 

Sails  of  ships  179. 

Saint  Anthony  of  Padua,  181. 

„     David's  CathednU,  94. 

„     Genevievf  Abbey,  214. 

„     George,  201, 

„     John,  arms,  108.- 

„         „     badge,  233. 

„     Margaret, -201. 

„     Margaret's  church,  York,  5. 


INDEX. 


247 


Saint  Mary's  church,  Chester,  moiminents 
in,  136. 
„     Michael,  201. 
„     Michael's  Mount,  159. 
„     Neot,  History  of,  105. 
„     Peter's  fish,  165. 
„  „     grant,  124. 

„  „     History  of,  56. 

„  «     keys,  166. 

„     Roche,  92. 
Salisbury,  Marquis  of,  64. 
Salm,  Counts  of,  121. 
„    Princes  of,  120. 
„     river,  120. 
Salmine,  arms,  122. 
Salmon,  ditto,  121. 
„     hunting,  129. 
„     of  France,  arms,  121. 
„     river,  120. 
„     sign  of  the,  164. 
„     spears,  130. 
„     the,  112. 
Salraond,  arms,  122. 
SaJters'  Companv,  149. 

„       of  fish,  "169. 
SaltiSshmongers,  171. 
Salvator  Rosa,  picture  by,  181. 
Sambrooke,  arms,  123. 
Sammes,  ditto,  123. 
Sandford,  ditto,  84; 
Sandwich,  Earl  of,  219. 
„         seal  of,  178. 
Sankey,  arms,  193. 
Sardine,  the,  162. 
Sartine,  arms,  162. 
Scales,  Lord,  220. 
„       of  carp,  78. 
„      of  chub,  91. 
„      Pursuivant,  220, 
Scotch  college,  monument  at,  125. 
Scots,  Queen  of,  22. 
Scott  of  Harden,  217. 
Scriptures,  fish  named  in  the,  12. 
Scrope,  cognizance,  231. 
Sculpture,  early,  170,  213. 
Sea,  arms,  1 1 8. 
„     bream,  142. 
„     cobs,  156. 
„     dog,  149. 
„     emblem  of  the,  8. 
„     griffin,  209. 
„    horse,  207. 
„     lion,  206. 
„     Serjeant's,  device,  41. 
„     snake,  201. 
„     star,  108. 
„     tortoise,  232. 
„     unicorn,  209. 
„     urchin,  232. 
Seal,  the,  210. 
Seals — 

Arundel,  Archbishop,  94. 
Baronial,  92. 
Barons  of  Dover,  178. 
Booking,  Dean  of,  36. 


Seals — Cftnttiiiwd. 
Brighton,  30. 
Briwere.  Lord,  214. 
Buckenham  Priory,  223. 
Caimcross,  Archbishop,  125. 
Cameron,  Bishop,  125. 
Campbell,  176. 
Cardig-an,  180. 
Cinque  Pons,  178. 
Coleraine,  115. 
Congleton,  199. 
De  la  Roche,  93. 
Dover,  178. 

Dunwich,  Bailiff  of,  152. 
Feversham,  178. 
Fowey,  161. 
Gal  way,  183. 
Glasgow  Bishops,  125 
Glastonbury  Abbey,  181. 
Hastings,  178. 
Hatfield,  Bishop,  39. 
Haverfordwest,  178. 
Helston,  159. 
Heringot,  153. 
Hilburgh  Priory,  201. 
Hingham  Deanerv,  36. 
Hythe,  178. 
Ipswich,  178. 
Kingston,  113. 
Kytson,  155. 

Looe,  161. 

Lostwithiel,  114. 

Lucy,  54. 

Lyme,  178. 

Lymington,  178. 

Lynn,  201. 

^iunicipal,  178. 

Newcaatle-uuder-Lyne,  133. 

Newport,  Isle  of  Wight,  178. 

Newtown,  ditto,  178.  ' 
•  Norwich  Priory,  201. 

Pevensey,  178. 

Portsmouth,  178. 

Romnev,  178. 

Rye,  178. 

St  Bartholomew's  Priory,  181. 

Saidwich,  178. 

Scales  Lord,  220. 

Scrope,  231. 

Seaford,  178. 

Sheffield,  132. 

Shoreham,  178. 

Stafford,  133. 

Sunning  Deanery,  36. 

Surrey,  Countess  of,  70. 
„  "     Earl  of,  69. 

SwanAa,  106. 

Tenterdcn,  178. 

Thetford  Priorv,  20 1. 

Weare,  197. 

West  Acre  Priors-,  20 1. 

Wexford,  182, 

Winchilseii,  178. 

Yarmouth,  150. 

Priorv,  151. 


248 


INDEX. 


SiMinan  family.  37. 
Soilition.  emlilem  i.f,  i?^!!, 
Soiiitz,  arms,  t<'i . 
Sopham,  crest.  '217. 
Sermon  to  ti-h,  1!!!. 
Serranus  Amhias,  14"J. 
Settle's  Triumplis  of  London,  .3j, 
Sevin;;ton,  anns,  124. 
Shambrooke,  ditto,  '200.. 
Shark,  the,  -205. 
Sharp,  arms,  1 32, 
Sheffield,  seal  of,  132. 
Shell  of  St.  James,  221.     . 
Shellej-,  arms,  227. 
Shellfish,  220. 

Sherwood  Forest,  Warden,  2!  5. 
Shield,  form  of,  93. 
Shiffner,  SirGeornrp,  231. 
Ship  and  escallop,  223. 
„    of  St.  Peter,  IGl. 
Ships  on  seals,  178. 

„     names,  181. 
Shoreham,  seal  of,  17!i. 
Shrewsbury,  Earl  of,  13i). 
Sidney,  arms,  132. 

„      Sussex,  coUeixe,  53. 
„      Viscount,' 227. 
Sign  of  the  Dolphin,  24. 
„         Mermaid,  218. 

Signs  in  Germany,  1(J4. 
„    of  inns,  164. 
„         the  zodiac,  4. 

Sinclair,  arms,  175. 

„        of  Rosslj-n,  2 1 7. 

Sirenis,  212. 

Sizes  of  nets,  150. 

Skeffington,  crest,  215. 

Skeletons  of  fish,  110. 

Skipness  Castle.  17G. 

Skye,  Isle  of,  1 15. 

Smelt  familv,  145. 
„      the,  145. 

Smirke,  R.A.  1C8. 

Smolt,  the,  107. 

Soame,  Sir  Stephen,  22 1 . 

Soapraakers'  Company,  1  30. 

Sole,  the,  187. 

Soles  arms.  187. 

Soley,  ditto,  187-  . 

Solomon's  rino',  127. 

Somerled,  115. 

Souci,  or  marigold,  88. 

SoumeL,  arms,  143. 

Sound  as  a  roach,  .02. 

South  Sea  Company,  153. 

Southampton,  Dolphin  inn,  24. 
E.arlof,  81,  180. 

Southriete,  anns,  35. 

South  wold,  token.  152. 

Sovereignty,  cniblom  of,  31. 

Spain,  Drand  of,  22;>. 

Spanish  heraldry,  ]9(u 
„       poetrj-,'l(!9. 

Sparko,  crest,  98. 

Sparling  fiimily,  1 45. 


S«j)ariina,  the,  145. 
SJ-OL-klcd  t.ouc,  13it. 
Speinian.  Sir  .Jolin,  2l»l. 
Spencer.  Kiirl,  155. 
lord,  139. 
Spienng,  the,  145. 
Sprat,  arms,  IGl. 

.,     Bishop  of  Rochester,  IGl. 
„     the,  161. 
Sprottie,  arms,  127. 
Sprotton,  ditto,  162. 
St.  John,  ditto,  >08. 
badge,  233. 
Stafford,  badge  and  knot,  72. 

„        seal  of,  133.    • 
Stained  glass — 
Amiens,  8. 

Armagh  Cathedral,  14). 
Canterbury  ditto,  171. 
Charlecote,  5C. 
Chenies,  154. 
Fishmongers'  Hall,  173. 
Hampton  Lucj-,  56. 
Kingsdown,  57. 
Lincoln's  Inn,  154. 
Moulins,  8. 

New  Inn,  London,  147. 
Newhall,  52. 
Newnham  Paddox,  4 1 . 
Notre  Dame,  213. 
OckweU  House,  71,  14.0. 
Pavilion  St.  James,  144. 
Penrhyn  Castle,  6. 
Quenby  Hall,  61. 
St.  David's  Cathedral,  94. 
St.  Ncot's,  105. 
St.  Saviour's,  58. 
Selby  Abbey  Church,  51. 
Universitv  CoUe-e,  38,  52. 
Stamford,  Earls  of,  85,  158. 
Standard  at  a  feast,  123. 
„        bearer,  139. 
„■        of  Courtcnav,  18. 
of  Trevelliaii,  2ll8. 
„        of  Vaughan,  48. 

at  Windsor  Castle,  18. 
Suirfish,  the,  108. 
Steering,  mode  of,  177. 
Stepl'.en,  King,  7. 
Stepney,  monument  at,  127. 
Stems  of  ships,  179. 
Steyne  at  Brighton,  30. 
Stockfish,  31,  174. 
Stockfishmnngcrs,  171. 
Stoli)erg,  Counts  of,  l4l. 
Stonor,  81. 
Stork,  the,  98. 
Stothard,  R.A.  21. 
Stourton,  anns,  85. 

Lord,  149. 
Strachwitz,  anns,  226. 
Stratford,  4ii«l  of,  i'<X 
Strangford,  Lord,  132. 
Strati 'le}-,  anns,  l!i9. 
Stratford  Abbey,  89. 


INDtX. 


249 


Stmtballan,  Viscount,  S\. 
Streamlet  of  seals,  211. 
Strickland,  the  heralii  painter,  1G8, 
Strozzi  Palace,  'ida. 
Stuart,  royal  house  of,  179. 
Sturgeon,  arms,  204. 

the,  204. 
Sturgney,  arms,  204. 
Styell,  crest,  196. 
Suckingiish,  the,  203. 
Sudelej-,  baron v  of,  2ii7. 
Sutfolk,  Duke  of,  231. 
Sulyard,  arms,  132. 
Sunning,  deanery,  36. 
Supponera,  heraidic,  42,  93. 
Surgeons'  HalL,  a  fish  at,  212. 
Surnames,  101. 
Surrey,  Earl  of,  seal,  69. 
Sussex,  Earl  of,  52. 
Sutherland,  arms,  108. 

Earldom,  114. 
Swallow,  crest,  46. 
Swan,  rousant,  141. 

„    the,  98. 
Swansea,  seal,  106. 
Swartzac,  arms,  85. 
Swiftest  fish,  the,  35. 
Sykes,  Sir  Tatton,  219. 
Symonds,  arms,  41.      . 
Syracuse,  coin  of,  15. 
Syrens,  the,  212. 

T. 

Tabard,  137. 

Talbot  family,  136. 

Tanche,  arms,  87.  .■    ^^  * 

Tanques,  ditto,  97. 

Tapestry  of  the  Vatican,  166. 

Tarbutt,  arms,  183.  189.- 

Tarentum,  coins  of,  227. 

Taylor,  the  water  poet,  43.    • 

Teck,  arms,  1 39. 

Temperance,  emblem  of,  228. 

Tenant,  a,  213. 

Tench,  arms,  88. 

„      the,  87. 
Tenterden,  seal  of,  178. 
Tenure,  horns  of,  1 34. 
Territori.d  names,  101. 
Tcthvs,  9. 

Thanet,  Earl  of,  206. 
Tiiiard,  aims,  230. 
■  Thome,  crest,  2 1 7. 
Ticket  to  a  feast,  122. 
Tile  at  Exeter,  12. 
Titus,  baths  of,  8. 
Tobias  and  the  fish,  l67. 
Tollcsburs",  monument  at,  138. 
Torr  Abbey,  214. 
Torralva,  the  shepherdess,  214. 
Tortf)ise,  the  sea.  232. 
Tournament  at  Eslintoun  Castle,  29. 

the,  137. 
Townshend,  Miirquis  94,  227. 
Tranchemer,  arms  47. 


Treasurer,  Lord,  210. 
Tregsrthiok,  ann.>  229. 
Trovelliun,  btandard  of,  268. 
Trevelyan,  44. 
Treviso,  families  of,  28. 
Trident  of  Neptune,  130. 
Tritons,  218. 

Triumph  of  ^Maximilian,  140. 
Triumphs  of  London,  the,  35,  171. 
Tropecell,  arms,  95. 
Trent,  sign,  164. 
„      the,  133. 
Troutbeck,  arms  1 36. 
„         tabard,  137. 
„         Westmoreland,  135. 
Troutsdale,  135. 
Truro,  seal  of,  160. 
Truthall,  135. 
Tubfish,  the,  104. 
Tubbe,  arms,  104. 
Tubingen,  monument  at,  1 39. 

Tucker,  arms,  208. 

Turbot  of  Ancona,  190. 
„      the,  188. 

Turbutt,  arms,  188. 

Turpin,  81. 

Turtle,  the,  232. 

Twells,  arms,  86. 

Twickett,  ditto,  199. 

Tyre,  medals  of,  227- 

Tynan  dye,  227. 

Tyrone,  Earl  of,  115. 

U. 

Ulster,  Lords  of,  116. 
Ulysses,  212. 
Umberfish,  the,  147. 
UmbreU,  arms,  148. 
Unicom,  the,  209. 
Unnatural  animals,  206. 
Upsal  Cathedral,  233. 
Upton,  crest,  41. 

„      Nicholas,  50. 
Urchin,  the  sea,  232. 
Urgunda,  the,  201. 
Usedom,  arms,  209. 


Vaillant,  arms,  141. 

Valence,  Earls  of  Pembroke,  70. 

Van  Voorst,  crest,  217. 

Vanacker,  Sir  Nicholas,  123. 

Vandcput  feuuify,  33. 

Vanes,  55. 

Vannelat,  amis,  226. 

Vannet,  the,  22(). 

Variation  of  the  compass,  177. 

Vatican,  the,  KIC. 

Vauor,  Baron,  45. 

Vaughan,  anns,  4 It. 

Vaux,  58,  224.     . 

Venables,  crest,  198. 

Venetian  nobility,  27. 

Venice,  lion  of,  21.  y 


250 


INDEX. 


Venus,  7. 

„     Anadyoniene,  2 1 6. 

„     fish  consecrated  to,  14"2, 
Vore,  house  of,  84,  108. 
Vernon,  amis,  1.57. 

„      Lords,  108. 
Verona,  antique  at,  142. 
Vesci,  2"25. 
Vescy,  225. 
Vesica  piscis,  12. 
Vespasian,  medal  of,  17. 
Viennois,  Counts  of,  21. 
VieiLschastel,  arms,  55. 
Vignette  at  page  1,  explanation  o^  128. 
Villiers,  Sir  Nicholas  de,  224. 
Vitellius,  medal  of,  7. 
Vivier,  87. 
Vox  piscis,  182. 
Vulcana,  arms,  157. 

W. 

Wahlen,  arms,  46. 
Wales,  ensign  of,  202. 
Walker,  crest,  225. 
WalJey,  arms,  131. 
Wallop,  Sir  John,  215. 
Wallys,  arms,  48. 
Walterton,  ditto,  24. 
Walton  and  Cotton  Club,  1 45. 

„      Club,  Newcastle,  145. 

„      family,  215. 
Walton's  mark,  21. 
Walworth,  Sir  William,  171. 
pall,  173. 
„         statue,  173. 
Warburton's  Arms  of  Gentry,  90. 
Warham,  Archbishop,  210. 
Warkworth,  Lord,  51. 
Warren,  E.arl  of,  69. 

„        Countess  of.  70. 
Wans-ick,  Earls  of,  57,  189. 
Water-bailiff's  badge,  44. 

„      in  heraldry,  83. 
Waterford,  arms,  86. 

hakes  at,  183. 
Waterhouse,  arms,  87. 
Watermen's  Company,  43. 
Waters,  arras,  87. 
Watson,  Sir  Brook,  205. 
Waves  in  heraldrj-,  83. 
Way,  arms,  119. 

„     of  Devonshire,  arms,  119. 
Weare,  scil  of,  197. 
Weirs  on  rivers,  197. 
Wells,  arms,  86. 
„     badge,  86. 

»,     of  Enmore,  86. 
Welsh,  arms  124. 

„     salmon,  124. 
Wen^e,  manor  of,  92. 
Wentworth  family,  64. 
Wemigerode,  Counts  of,  1,  141. 


Westminster,  Abbot's  claim,  124. 
„  Ch;ipter-hou>e,  59. 

Westward  for  smclti,  145. 
Wexford,  seal  of  1 82. 
Whale,  the,  45. 
Whaley,  arms,  46. 
Whalley  Abbey,  46. 

„       family,  47. 
Wheler,  arms,"l93. 
Whelk,  the,  227. 
Whiff,  the,  187. 
Whirlpool  in  heraldry,  86. 
Whistle,  a  badge  of  office,  180. 
Whitby,  town  of.  197. 
Whiting,  arms,  184. 

„        the,  184. 
Whittington,  arms,  185. 
Wigram  fiimilv,  227. 
Wildgrave,  120. 
WUk,  the,  227. 
Wilkins,  arms,  227. 
Wilkinson,  ditto,  228. 
Willeigh,  ditto,  159. 
Willeley,  ditto,  159. 
Williams,  Lord,  198. 
Willoughby,  Lords,  158. 
Wilton,  Earls  of,  85. 
Winchilsea,  seal  of,  178. 
Winchester,  Bishop  of,  19,  50. 
Windischgratz,  Counts  of.  110. 
Windsor  Castle,  standa.-d  at,  18. 
Winter,  Robert,  11. 
Wirtemberg,  Counts  of.  138. 

„  King  of,  139. 

Wishart,  Bishop,  124. 
Witton  Castle,  225. 
Women  in  heralJrj-.  143. 
Woodvile,  Lord  Scales.,  220. 
Wooler,  pillar  ne.ir,  224. 
Wooton-under-Edge,  monument  at,  113. 
Worlidge's  Gems,  9. 
Worsley  fiimily,  183. 
Wyllej',  arms,  198, 
Wynne,  ditto,  38. 
Wyril  family,  88. 

Y. 

Yarborongh,  Earl  of,  183. 
Yarmouth,  arms  152. 

„  prion,-  seal,  151. 

„  to\\-n  ditto,  150,  178. 

Yarrell,  crest,  109. 
Yeates,  ditto,  2(l5. 
Yoke,  a  badge,  95, 
York,  Archbishop  of,  arms,  154,  166. 
r,      porch  of  Si.Margaret'8  Church,  5. 


Z. 


Zingis  Khan,  79. 
Zoduic,  4. 
Zouche,  Lord,  180. 


r.oNnoN :  printed  by  samikl  benti.kv,  iiangor  H(u>k,  shoe  lank. 


The  fnllorcing  JVorks,  pzihlished  hij  Mr.  Van  Voorst,  are  Portions  of  a 
Series  illxstratice  of  the 

NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN. 


PROFESSOR  RYMER  JONES'S  GENERAL  OUTLINE  OF  THE  ANIMAL 
KINGDOM,  AND  MANUAL  OF  CO]MPARATIVE  ANATOMY.  In  one 
thick  volume,  8to.,  containing  350  Illustrations,  price  \l.  18»-.  Royal  8ro.  3/.  16s. 
Imperial  8vo.  ol.  14s. 

PROFESSOR  BELL'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  QUADRUPEDS  AND  CE- 
TACEA.  8to.,  with  200  Illustrations,  U.  8s.  Royal  Bvo.  21.  16s.  Imperial  8vo. 
4^.  4s. 

MR.  YARRELL'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  BIRDS.  25  Parts,  published  at 
25.  Gd,  each,  forming  the  two  first  vols.;  containing  fignres  of  217  species  and  nu- 
merous vignettes.  Royal  8vo.  5s.  each.  The  Imperial  8vo.  edition  -nrill  not  be  de- 
livered until  the  three  vols,  are  complete. 

PROFESSOR  BELL'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  REPTILES,  with  more  than  40 
Illustrations.     8vo.  8s.  Gd.     Royal  8to.  I  7s.     Imperial  8vo.  1/.  5s.  6d. 

MR.  YARRELL'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  FISHES,  a  New  Edition,  with  many 
additional  Illustrations.  2  vols.  8vo.  price  3/.  A  Supplement  to  First  Edition,  8vo. 
7s.  6d.     Royal  8vo.  15s.     Imperial  8vo.  1/.  2s.  Gd. 

MR.   FORBES'S    HISTORY    OF    BRITISH    STARFISHES,    SEA-URCHINS, 

and  the  other  Animals  forming  the  class   Echinodemiata.     8vo.  with    120   Illustra- 
tions, 15s.     Royal  8vo.  11.  10s. 

MR.  SELBY'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  FOREST  TREES.  To  be  completed 
in  Eleven  Parts,  Nine  published  at  2s.  GJ.  each.     Royal  8vo.  5s. 

MR.  NEWiLAN'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  FERNS,  87  lUustrations.    8vo.  10s. 

%*  The  Publisher  has  made  arrangements  for  the  publication  of  a  Work  in  con- 
tinuation of  this  series,  on  the  extinct  Quadrupeds,  Reptiles,  and  Fishes, 
thus  connecting  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Britain  with  those  of  the  present 


MR.  ARTHUR  AIKIN'S  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  ARTS  AND  MANUFAC- 
TURES, being  a  series  of  Papers  read  before  the  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of 
Arts,  Manu&ttures,  and  Commerce.     Foolscap  8vo.  Illustrated,  8s. 

MR.  BARTLETT'S  INDEX  GEOLOGICUS,  on  a  roUer,  or  in  case,  30s. 

THE  HON.  AND  REV.  DR.  BATHURST'S  NOTES  ON  NETS.     12mo.  4s. 

MR.  BEALE'S  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  SPERM  WHALE.  Post 
8vo.  12s. 

DR.  BEVAN  ON  THE  HONEY-BEE,  2nd  Edition.     12mo.  10s.  6J. 

MR.  BOCCIUS  ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  FRESH- WATER  FISH  AND 
FISH-PONDS..    8vo.  5s. 

PRINCE  BONAPARTE'S  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  COMPAR.\TIVE  LIST 
OP  THE  BIRDS  OF  EUROPE  AND  NORTH  AMERIC.\.     livo.  5>. 

MR.  BOWERBANK'S  FOSSIL  FRUITS  AND  SEEDS  OF  THE  LONDON 
CLAY.     Part  I.     Royal  8vo.  16s. 

THE  BROTHERS  BULLAR'S  WINTER  IN  THE  AZORES,  AND  SUMMER 
AT  THE  BATHS  OF  THE  FURNAS,  IN  SAINT  MICHAEL'S.  2  vols.  8 vo. 
28s.  Illustrated. 


fVor.{«  pitljiiahol  hi;  3/'-.  Vo)-,  Voorst. 

THE  HON.  R.  H.  CUVK'S  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  HIS- 
TORY   OF    LUDLOW,    AND    THL    LORDS    MAKCHEU:?.     Imperuil    avo. 

MR.  DOUBLEDAY'S  NOMENCLATURE  OF  BRITISH  BIRDS.     8vo.  Is.  6-7. 
ELEMENTS   OF   PRACTICAL    KNOWLEDGE.     A   New    Edition,    considerably. 

improved.     I61110.  Zi. 
THE  FIRST   PRINCIPLES    OF   RELIGION,     A  New  Edition.     Edited  by  the 

Hon.  ilrs.  John  T,axb<7T.      l6rao.  'Is. 
MR.  GOSSE'S  CANADIAN  NATURALIST.     Post  8vo.  I2s. 
GRAY'S  ELEGY  IN  A  COUNTRY  CHURCH-YARD.     Each  Stanza  illustrated 

by  an  engraving  on  wood,  tflc  33  Designs  bj  the  most  eminent  living  Artists.     Post 

8vo.  9s.  "" 

*  *  .\lso  a  Polvgiot  Edition,  with  Translations  in  the  Greek,  Latin,  Gennan, 
Italian,  and  French  Languages,  \1s, 

GRAY'S  BARD.     Illustrated  by  the  Hon.  Mrs.  John  Talbot,  7s.     Uniform  with 

the  Elegy. 
THE  HON.  W.  H.  HARVEY  S  MANUAL  OF  BRITISH  ALG.E  (SEA-WEED). 

8vo.  9s. 

MR.  HEWITSON'S  BRITJSri*"OOLOGY'.    Two  vols.     Royal  8vo.  6/.  16s.  GJ. 

MR.  JESSE'S  ANGLER'S  RAMBLES.     Post  8vo.  10s.  Qd. 

MR.  LEIGHTON'S  FLORA  OF  SHROPSHIRE.     8vo.  \l  4s. 

MR.  MOULE'S  HERALDRY  OF  FISH.     With  nmnerous  Illustrations.     8vo. 

MR.  NEWMAN'S  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  HISTORY  OF  INSECTS. 
8vo.  12s. 

SITAKSPEARE'S  SEVEN  AGES  OF  MAN.  lUustrated  by  10  Designs  engraved 
on  wood  in  the  most  finished  style,  from  Drawings  by  Members  of  the  Royal  Aaidemy. 
4  to.  15s, 

MR.  WARD'S  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  GROWTH  OF  PLANTS.  In  closely 
Glazed  Ca.ses.     8vo.  os. 

MR.  YARRELL'S  PAPER  ON  THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  SALISION  IN  FRESH 
WATER,  with  6  coloured  Illustrations.     Folio,  12s. 


In  preparation. 

PROFESSOR  BELL'S  HISTORY  OF  BRITISH  CRUSTACEA. 

ilR.  FORBES'S  RAMBLES  OF  A  NATURALIST. 

REV.  LEONARD  JENYNS'S  EDITION  OF  WHITES  NATURAL  HISTORY 
OF  SELBORNE. 

PROFESSOR  RYMER  JONES'S  LECTURES  ON  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

REV.  R.  T.  LOWES  HISTORY  OF  THE  FISHES  OF  JLVDEIRA. 

THE  VICAR  OF  WAKEFIELD,  with  32  Dci'Tis  bv  William  -Mllreai.v.  R. A. 


JOHN  V.\N  VOORST,   1,  P.VTERNOStER  KOW. 


5421